US Senate Votes Down Ukraine Aid Restriction Measure

In Washington, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted against a proposal to link military aid for Ukraine to defense spending by NATO members. The amendment, put forward by Republican Senator Mike Lee, sought to restrict U.S. aid to Ukraine. Despite 13 Republicans supporting the measure, it was defeated by a vote of 71 to 13.

The amendment aimed to condition the Department of Defense’s funds for Ukraine in fiscal year 2024 on every NATO member spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense. If passed, it would have required that only 2% of the allocated funds be used until this condition was met.

Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the United States has provided Ukraine with more than $40 billion in military aid, including an additional $1.3 billion announced by President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday. This assistance enjoys broad bipartisan support within the U.S. Congress, which holds control over government spending.

However, a small group of Republicans, many of whom have close ties to former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, have raised doubts about this aid to Ukraine. Last week, Republican representatives attempted to slash Ukraine aid through amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act in the Republican-led House of Representatives. These attempts were also unsuccessful.

In his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to urge Europe to reimburse the United States for the expenses incurred in replenishing Ukraine’s weapon stockpiles. He had previously threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO if all 31 member nations did not spend 2% of their GDP on defense.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sandra Maler