Latest news with #UkraineSupportAct
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US lawmakers push new aid for Ukraine, tougher sanctions on Russia, Reuters reports
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced new legislation on April 15 to boost support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, in what sources familiar with the effort told Reuters was another attempt to press the Trump administration for stronger backing of Kyiv. Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, filed the Ukraine Support Act, which would provide funding for Ukraine's security and reconstruction efforts and impose sweeping sanctions on Russia. According to a copy of the bill seen by the news agency, the legislation lays out significant financial and diplomatic measures to counter Russia's aggression. The bill has not yet been made public but comes just two weeks after Senate Republicans and Democrats introduced a separate package that would sanction Russia if it refuses to engage in good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine. Congressional aides involved in drafting the House bill said they hope the measure will influence the final Ukraine-related legislation that emerges from Congress. "This bill obviously will be part of the legislative conversation," one aide said. Lawmakers' push to advance Ukraine support legislation gained renewed urgency after Russia launched a missile strike on Sumy on April 14, killing 35 people and injuring 117 during Palm Sunday services. Moscow claimed it targeted Ukrainian military leadership. The attack resulted in dozens of civilian casualties. The House bill includes three main sections: support for Ukraine and NATO, including the creation of a special coordinator for Ukraine's reconstruction; provisions for security assistance such as direct loans and military financing; and harsh sanctions on Russia targeting its financial sector, energy and mining industries, and key officials. Trump, meanwhile, has continued to blame both his predecessor and President Volodymyr Zelensky for "allowing this travesty to begin." "The War between Russia and Ukraine is Biden's war, not mine. I just got here, and for four years during my term, had no problem in preventing it from happening," Trump posted on Truth Social. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine developing strategic-level air defense system; Russia intensifies assaults against Kharkiv Oblast We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US lawmakers look to boost Ukraine, sanction Russia, sources say
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation on Monday to bolster Ukraine in its war with Russia, another effort to pressure the Trump administration to back the Kyiv government, sources familiar with the effort said. Representative Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the Ukraine Support Act, which would provide security and reconstruction funding for Ukraine and impose steep sanctions on Russia, according to a copy of the bill seen by Reuters. The bill, which has not yet been made public, was filed two weeks after Republicans and Democrats in the Senate introduced stiff sanctions that would be imposed on Russia if it refuses to engage in good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine. The efforts in Congress reflect increasing concern among lawmakers from both parties about Ukraine's fate, as Republican President Donald Trump has taken a more conciliatory stance toward Moscow since starting his second term on January 20. Trump, who is trying to broker a peace agreement, has repeatedly blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the three-year-old conflict even though it began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He did so again on Monday, with a complaint about Kyiv asking for missiles. Congressional aides who helped write the House bill said their goal was to influence negotiations on any Ukraine-related legislation eventually passed by Congress. Parts of the bill were expected to appear in any final broad Ukraine package even if the measure itself cannot find a way forward in the Republican-majority House. "This bill obviously will be part of the legislative conversation," one said. The effort was given additional urgency on Sunday, when two Russian ballistic missiles hit the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy as residents attended Palm Sunday church services. Kyiv said the attack killed 34 people and wounded 117, dozens of them civilians. Russia's defence ministry said it had targeted a gathering of Ukrainian commanding officers in the city. ADMINISTRATION AT ODDS? Trump administration officials have been increasingly at odds over how to settle the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Reuters has reported, with some suggesting Ukraine should cede territory to Russia and others favoring more direct support to Ukraine. The House bill is divided into three sections and would provide more support than the Ukraine legislation in the Senate. The first affirms support for Ukraine and NATO and includes measures to help Ukraine rebuild, including creating the position of a special coordinator for Ukraine reconstruction. The second provides security assistance for Kyiv, including direct loans and military financing, and the third would impose stiff sanctions and export controls on Russia, including on financial institutions, oil and mining and Russian officials. While many members of Congress from both parties have strongly supported Ukraine during the three-year conflict, many of Trump's closest Republican allies have grown cooler since his party took control of the House two years ago, and then the White House and Senate in January.
Reuters
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US lawmakers look to boost Ukraine, sanction Russia, sources say
WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation on Monday to bolster Ukraine in its war with Russia, another effort to pressure the Trump administration to back the Kyiv government, sources familiar with the effort said. Representative Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the Ukraine Support Act, which would provide security and reconstruction funding for Ukraine and impose steep sanctions on Russia, according to a copy of the bill seen by Reuters. The bill, which has not yet been made public, was filed two weeks after Republicans and Democrats in the Senate introduced stiff sanctions that would be imposed on Russia if it refuses to engage in good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine. The efforts in Congress reflect increasing concern among lawmakers from both parties about Ukraine's fate, as Republican President Donald Trump has taken a more conciliatory stance toward Moscow since starting his second term on January 20. Trump, who is trying to broker a peace agreement, has repeatedly blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the three-year-old conflict even though it began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He did so again on Monday, with a complaint about Kyiv asking for missiles. Congressional aides who helped write the House bill said their goal was to influence negotiations on any Ukraine-related legislation eventually passed by Congress. Parts of the bill were expected to appear in any final broad Ukraine package even if the measure itself cannot find a way forward in the Republican-majority House. "This bill obviously will be part of the legislative conversation," one said. The effort was given additional urgency on Sunday, when two Russian ballistic missiles hit the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy as residents attended Palm Sunday church services. Kyiv said the attack killed 34 people and wounded 117, dozens of them civilians. Russia's defence ministry said it had targeted a gathering of Ukrainian commanding officers in the city. ADMINISTRATION AT ODDS? Trump administration officials have been increasingly at odds over how to settle the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Reuters has reported, with some suggesting Ukraine should cede territory to Russia and others favoring more direct support to Ukraine. The House bill is divided into three sections and would provide more support than the Ukraine legislation in the Senate. The first affirms support for Ukraine and NATO and includes measures to help Ukraine rebuild, including creating the position of a special coordinator for Ukraine reconstruction. The second provides security assistance for Kyiv, including direct loans and military financing, and the third would impose stiff sanctions and export controls on Russia, including on financial institutions, oil and mining and Russian officials. While many members of Congress from both parties have strongly supported Ukraine during the three-year conflict, many of Trump's closest Republican allies have grown cooler since his party took control of the House two years ago, and then the White House and Senate in January.
