Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders have applauded the US for passing a vital €89 billion aid bill which has been struggling to make it through the House of Representatives for months.

The House swiftly approved roughly €89 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of hard-right resistance over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s invasion.

With an overwhelming vote, €57 billion in aid for Ukraine passed in a matter of minutes, a strong showing as American lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of US support to the war-torn ally. Many Democrats cheered on the House floor and waved blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.

  • Transporter Room 3@startrek.website
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    5 months ago

    It’s bullshit that they’re being thanked for table scraps that the children had to slap fight over how many scraps are allowed…

    Of course anything other than 100% gratitude would be touted by the shittier child for the rest of their life regardless of whether the scraps ended off starvation or not.

    My metaphor got a little weird but what the fuck.

    • OpenStars@startrek.website
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      5 months ago

      While true that the timing is shit, the amount is nowhere close to “table scraps” - this seems like it will legit be helpful, maybe even enough to turn the tide in Ukraine?

      Also, it’s not like Congress fed its own and then waited months to feed the dog - rather, dinner for the entire family was delayed from the start of the fiscal year 2024 in October 1 until just a few weeks ago, involving the ousting of one Speaker of the House and almost doing so to the second as well. And now, this aid package for Ukraine may likewise finish the job of getting the Speaker kicked out, bc any time the government is “functional” is considered bad by some elements.

      But the timing from passing the federal budget itself to passing this aid package is actually quite short. Yes it’s half a year late, but it did eventually happen, and the amount of aid is large, so is a “success” by multiple metrics, and all the more so given the opposition. If we do end up having a civil war as people like MTG are calling for, this may well be the last aid package that the USA ever manages to pass in the final stages of its democracy.

      So imho we should take the win and be happy - we may not get to celebrate Congress doing routine activities like “passing budgets” very often in the future, even six months late.

      • Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net
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        5 months ago

        All of it. I want the AFU to have so much US-supplied ordinance that it makes Helldivers look prophetic

      • khannie@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        the USA has contributed more in total dollars than the rest of the world combined

        This is incorrect.

        Here’s another link that doesn’t include billions more from other EU countries since January.

        Also European money is overwhelmingly being sent as cash. US aid is overwhelmingly spent inside the US.

        • TheMusicalFruit@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          This graph is only good through February as well and doesn’t include the latest aide packages from the US and EU. I found that the EU added another 50 billion euros in feb and the US another 57 just now. So I’ll adjust my statement, the US has given as much as the EU. The spirit of my original comment still remains. Why all the hate on here for a very generous aide package?

          • khannie@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            No hate here. I’m delighted it’s coming. I think there’s a lot of frustration with the lives and ground lost over political wrangling.

      • rusticus@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        You’re right. Block all the funding. Wait, what will you do when China goes after Taiwan? And Russia goes after Poland and Scandinavia? There is historical precedent for your type of lunacy. Hitler was just going to stop with Poland, right?

        • TheMusicalFruit@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          You’re jumping to conclusions, I actually support the aide packages. What I don’t support is an attitude of entitlement and calling what is a very generous aide package “scraps.” Yes it came later than what would be ideal, but it came and will help.

      • btaf45@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        We literally spent many trillions of dollars keeping the Kremlin in check during the Cold War. Helping Ukraine now is a marvelous bargain for us that will save us a far greater amount of money later.