Washington — Supporters of the aid bill Ukraine Sanctions on Russia reached a critical threshold on Wednesday that would allow them to bypass Republican leadership and force a vote on the House floor in the coming weeks.
The legislation seeks to boost US aid to Ukraine by approving more than $1 billion in security aid and providing another $8 billion in loans. Supporters are calling on President Donald Trump to act more forcefully to deter Russia and strengthen Ukraine.
Lawmakers gained 218 signatures on a petition filed by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York that will force the House to vote. While the measure is unlikely to become law, the vote will register to lawmakers their support for Ukraine.
The petition was signed by 215 Democrats and two Republicans — Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Rep. Kevin Kelly, an independent from California, became the final signature needed to force the vote. Kelly said the bill would help strengthen Ukraine’s influence to promote lasting peace.
He added: “We must also send a strong message that Russia supports “Iran’s targeting of US military assets will not be tolerated,” Kelly said in a statement explaining his support for the petition.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed concerns about the timing of the vote.
“I’m talking to some sponsors about this now,” Johnson said. “…The latest news coming out of Russia is that the war seems to be winding down, shrinking, and coming to an end. And I think Vladimir Putin has said that himself in the last few days, so this would be a good time for Congress to see how that plays out. So I’ll be talking to my colleagues about that.”
Trump said on Tuesday that he believes Moscow and Kiev will soon reach an agreement to end the fighting.
“I truly believe that the end of the war in Ukraine is very close,” Trump said as he left the White House for vacation. Summit in Beijing. “Believe it or not, it’s getting close.”
Putin said in a speech last weekend that his invasion of Ukraine may be “coming to an end.”
But on Wednesday Russia Fired At least 800 drones launched a massive barrage during the day across Ukraine, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, including children, in one of Moscow’s longest attacks in history. 4 year old war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Fitzpatrick said he does not agree that the war is coming to an end and that the only way not to vote in favor of Meeks’ measure is for Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
“There are people dying as we speak, so no, the war is not close to over,” Fitzpatrick said.
Meeks said it’s time for lawmakers to publicly state their position.
“Some members of Congress have told me they support Ukraine,” Meeks said. “Well, we will finally have a vote to make that decision.”
He said he believes the House vote “will put pressure on the Senate and I think it should tell the president that America is looking forward and we want to stand with our allies and not with Vladimir Putin.”
Lawmakers have discussed for months various proposals to impose sanctions on Russia, but much of that talk disappeared when Trump launched an attack on Iran in late February.
While Senate Republicans have been mostly supportive of Ukraine, they have been reluctant to act without Trump’s support. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed skepticism that the Senate might move to impose sanctions on Russia, saying “we have such a backlog” of other legislation.
“There are parts of the House bill that I like, and parts of it that I don’t like,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who pushed for the Russia sanctions bill in the Senate, said on Wednesday.
Republicans and Democrats alike are also frustrated that the Defense Department has not spent $400 million in military aid to Ukraine that lawmakers allocated last year. During a hearing earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was working on a plan to spend that money.
Support for Ukraine has been a major point of tension between Congress and Trump, who has vowed to quickly settle the war once he becomes president. Instead, he has struggled to show progress toward a peace deal even as his administration has often moved to withdraw support for both Ukraine and the rest of Europe.