Day 304: US House Approves $45B Aid Package to Ukraine

Facts

• After Senate approval a day earlier, the Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives on Friday approved a nearly $1.7T government funding bill that includes an additional $45B of aid to Ukraine. The bill will now go to US Pres. Joe Biden for signing into law.
• In a tweet, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Congress and the leaders of both parties for the "unwavering bipartisan support." He said it was "crucial" that the American people remain "side by side" with Ukrainians in this fight.
• Meanwhile, the PM of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, also announced that his country has earmarked €2.5B ($2.7B) for Ukraine in 2023. "The government expects that this amount will be necessary to provide military aid, support essential repair and reconstruction activities and contribute financially to efforts to combat impunity," the Dutch government said in a statement.
• Elsewhere, after Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin said he aims to "end this war" — comments that were dismissed by US officials — the US State Dept. issued a further statement making note of Putin's use of "war" as opposed to "special military operation."
• The State Dept. said: "Since February 24, the United States and rest of the world knew that Putin's 'special military operation' was an unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. Finally, after 300 days, Putin called the war what it is. As a next step in acknowledging reality, we urge him to end this war by withdrawing his forces from Ukraine."
• On the ground, at least five civilians were killed and dozens more injured following heavy Russian bombardment of the Kherson region in the past day. Two civilians were killed and five more injured in Donetsk, while the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk were also shelled without reports of civilian casualties at this stage.

Sources: Reuters, NL Times , Al Jazeera, France24, and Ukrinform.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Atlantic. Making sure Ukraine continues to be well-armed is the only way to fend off Putin and Russia in this unprovoked war of aggression. The US and NATO must not simply offer up their latest and most hi-tech weapons however; combat is about supply lines, and the West must ensure basic equipment and ammunition are kept flowing as needed.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by AntiWar. Multi-billion dollar weapons packages will make little difference in the outcome of the war. The US has been meddling in Ukraine since the end of the Cold War, and what we're witnessing is a geopolitical Ponzi scheme to benefit those aligned with the military-industrial complex. War is a lucrative racket.

Predictions