The United States House of Representatives has cleared the way to vote on a bill that would provide military funding to Ukraine and impose fresh sanctions on Russia, after the Democratic caucus and six Republicans broke ranks with their party.
The move marked the second setback of the day for President Donald Trump, after the same chamber had earlier passed a measure seeking to force the President to halt the war in Iran.
By 218 votes to 204, the House paved the way to vote on the Ukraine Support Act, brought forward by Congressman Gregory Meeks (Democrat, New York), the most senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Meeks argued that the decision, despite its nominal nature, did not amount to “a procedural vote”, according to news outlet The Hill.
“It is a statement on whether this Congress and all of its members support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, as well as their fight for freedom, democracy and independence,” he told the chamber.
The bill had been stalled since April 2025 amid Republican efforts, led by Trump, to block aid to Kyiv. The White House has described such assistance as wasteful spending.
The legislation would provide $8 billion (€6.9 billion) in loans for military funding to Ukraine and extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) until 2027, allowing the US to send weapons directly from Pentagon stockpiles. It would also impose additional sanctions on Russia, among other provisions.
The text is outdated, though. The sum allocated to USAI is lower than the $400 million (€344.6 million) that Congress budgeted through the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.
The bill also requires NATO members to commit to spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence, while in 2025 most had already pledged to reach 5 per cent.
Supporters said such discrepancies could be corrected by the Senate. There is little expectation, though, that Senate majority leader John Thune (Republican, South Dakota) would confront Trump by putting the Ukraine measure to a vote.
