Ukraine's ambassador 'cautiously optimistic' about upcoming US aid vote

The Ukrainian representation in the U.S. is working "non-stop" with American lawmakers to convince them to pass the Ukraine aid bill, scheduled for a vote this weekend, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, told the Kyiv Independent on April 19.

"From our intense work with both parties and committee approval of voting procedures today, I am cautiously optimistic this time," Markarova said.

U.S. assistance for Ukraine has been effectively blocked since the autumn of 2023, leading to a rapidly deteriorating situation on the battlefield.

After months of delays and several versions of the foreign aid bill derailed by political infighting, House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled his plan earlier this week to vote on the package as four separate bills on April 20.

The Democratic Party and U.S. President Joe Biden have already expressed support for the $61 billion bill encompassing both defense assistance and economic aid in the form of loans. Conversely, the proposal is certain to face opposition from the right flank of the Republican Party, with some conservatives even threatening to oust the speaker.

Read also: Speaker Johnson: US House to vote on $61 billion Ukraine aid bill on April 20

"A new approach in this proposal is that budget support will be provided in the form of loans, unlike the $23 billion of direct budget support in the form of grants in the previous budgets," the ambassador commented.

"We are very grateful that the U.S. provided us with grants before, which was unprecedented for the U.S. and not only gave us much-needed funds but also did not increase the debt and added to long-term public finance stability.

"At the same time, getting budget support in a loan format is consistent with how the EU and other partners have always supported us, and we would be glad to receive budget support from the U.S. as concessional loans if this is the only way Congress can support it."

Markarova also underscored the importance of another bill included in the proposed package that aims to seize frozen Russian assets and funnel them to Ukraine via the REPO Act.

The ambassador spoke optimistically about the upcoming vote, saying that after "many efforts and both public and non-public work" by Ukraine and "pro-Ukrainian and pro-freedom forces in the U.S.," the bill may finally be adopted this weekend. She also believes that if the package passes the House, it will be adopted by the Senate.

"Both Leader (Chuck) Schumer and Leader (Mitch) McConnell understand how important this is for Ukraine and for U.S. national security interests and are vocal about their position," Markarova said. Schumer has already publicly supported Johnson's package.

In February, the Senate passed a $95 billion aid bill that combined support for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but Johnson has never put it to a vote in his chamber.

Read also: Opinion: As an American in Avdiivka, what is Congress doing?

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