Seoul Gazette - US senators set vote on precarious Ukraine aid package

NYSE - LSE

CMSC	0.29%	22.085	$
NGG	0.33%	82.59	$
BTI	-0.03%	60.02	$
GSK	0.59%	52.78	$
RBGPF	0.52%	67.35	$
BCE	0.28%	21.38	$
RYCEF	1.95%	19.46	$
AZN	-4.01%	171.61	$
RIO	1.16%	90.54	$
VOD	11.14%	14.72	$
CMSD	0.31%	22.38	$
BCC	5.02%	76.06	$
JRI	-0.15%	13.01	$
BP	1.66%	39.2	$
RELX	1.14%	32.44	$

US senators set vote on precarious Ukraine aid package

POLITICS 01.02.2024

US senators set vote on precarious Ukraine aid package / Photo: © AFP/File

The US Senate will vote next week on a border security package that would unlock vital aid for Ukraine, Democrats announced Thursday, as President Joe Biden hailed a $54 billion package approved by the war-torn nation's European allies.

Text size:

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader of the upper chamber of Congress, said an initial vote on the bipartisan bill would take place on Wednesday at the latest -- although its prospects for being signed into law look vanishingly small.

"Addressing these challenges is not easy. But we cannot simply shirk from our responsibilities just because a task is difficult," Schumer said, adding that the text would be released between Friday and Sunday.

Senators have been negotiating for months on a deal to combat illegal immigration, with Republicans insisting on increased border security in return for approving a White House request for more than $60 billion for pro-Western Kyiv, which saw its invasion by Russia greatly expanded in 2022.

Mike Johnson, the speaker in the Republican-led House of Representatives, has declared the package "dead on arrival," claiming without seeing the text that it does not go far enough in tackling a record influx of undocumented migrants across the southern border.

Former president Donald Trump -- who is running for reelection and is desperate to avoid Biden getting a legislative win -- has been speaking out loudly against the bill, which also includes money for Israel in its conflict with Hamas militants.

Trump enjoys near-universal support among House Republicans, and his opposition is expected to kill the package's prospects of reaching Biden's desk.

The Democratic president called European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday to thank her for the bloc's approval of 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in aid for Ukraine, the White House said.

Biden welcomed the "significant financial aid package" which will "go a long way to helping Ukraine as they continue to battle back against Russia's aggression," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Biden called to "applaud the European Union's historic decision," the White House said, and "commended the European Union's steadfast support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression and fulfill the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of its citizens."

Von der Leyen "emphasized the critical importance of sustained US support to Ukraine, which has been indispensable to Ukraine's efforts to defend its people, cities and soldiers in its fight for freedom," according to the White House readout of the call.

W.Sim--SG

Featured

Iran declares Hormuz strait closed, US military insists traffic flowing

Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed on Sunday while the United States insisted it remained open, after the confrontation over the vital waterway again sparked US and Iranian strikes.

Ukraine's Zelensky orders government reshuffle, new PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a major reshuffle of the government on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the heads of some law enforcement agencies.

Iran, US trade more strikes as fighting escalates

Iran said Sunday it was closing the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones at Gulf neighbours after the US carried out a new round of strikes as their conflict escalated.

Noosha Aubel and Potsdam: The trust placed in her has been squandered

Noosha Aubel: a €33.4 million budget deficit in the state capital Potsdam, around €500,000 spent on external consultancy, revised austerity plans at the expense of children – and a shameful case involving a severely disabled toddler as part of a nursery scandal: Noosha Aubel inherited some of these crises, but the leadership deficit is now entirely her own. A 72.9 per cent share of the vote is not a mark of leadership; it is merely a vote of confidence. Noosha Aubel (50) received an exceptionally high level of this confidence in October 2025 – and has squandered it in a surprisingly short space of time. The hope for a fresh start has given way to bitter disillusionment, which is by no means limited to political opponents. After just 100 days, observers were already finding no clear direction whatsoever; in June 2026, media circles openly reported on unsettled supporters, unilateral actions and a lack of majorities. The yardstick is simple: is Potsdam functioning better? Are the finances in order, decisions properly prepared and the most vulnerable protected? So far, the answer is: no. Potsdam wanted a fresh start. It got a mayor who all too often confuses management jargon with leadership and is unable to get a grip on problems in the state capital. Added to this is a shameful scandal involving a toddler with multiple severe disabilities, for whom Aubel is personally responsible, and which raises questions about morality and decency. It is particularly shameful that media enquiries are not being answered by the head of the press office at Potsdam Town Hall, Jan Brunzlow – even though Noosha Aubel has demonstrably been contacted personally. Instead of answering the questions posed in a transparent and comprehensible manner, Brunzlow, according to the available documents, is pushing for a ‘personal conversation’, thereby apparently attempting to shift the communication into a non-public, informal setting. Should this course of action indeed contravene the applicable obligations to provide information under press law, a fundamental question arises: Is Noosha Aubel fit to hold the office of Lord Mayor of the state capital, Potsdam?