The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation providing aid to Ukraine and imposing new sanctions on Russia, underscoring growing Republican willingness to break with party leadership and push back against President Donald Trump.
Lawmakers voted 226-195 in favor of the Ukraine Support Act, which reached the floor after months of delay. A small group of Republicans joined Democrats earlier to sign a discharge petition, forcing the measure to a vote.
Eighteen Republicans and one independent who typically votes with them ultimately sided with Democrats to pass the bill, highlighting a widening fracture within a party that has largely aligned with Trump’s foreign policy positions.
Passage came a day after a smaller group of House Republicans joined Democrats to approve a resolution that would require the withdrawal of troops from hostilities with Iran unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force.
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, said in a post on X that the decision was "an important step forward” and "reflects continued bipartisan support for Ukraine.”
Future of the Support Act uncertain
However, the future of the Ukraine Support Act is uncertain. To become law, it must be passed in the Senate, where Republican leaders have not allowed votes on Russia sanctions legislation that has broad bipartisan support, saying they would wait for Trump’s guidance.
If it were to pass the Senate, the bill would likely be vetoed by Trump.
While many members of Congress from both parties strongly supported Ukraine in the first years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, some of Trump’s closest Republican allies, including House and Senate leadership, have grown cooler toward Kyiv since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
The president has also kept decisions on sanctions at the White House rather than Congress since beginning his second term.
U.S. aid to the Kyiv government has slowed sharply even as Russia and Ukraine have been pummeling each other with missiles, drones and artillery. Peace talks are stalled, with Ukraine rejecting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that it surrender territory it has successfully defended since 2022.
The Ukraine Support Act includes measures to help Ukraine rebuild after the war, authorizing more than $1 billion in assistance for Kyiv and up to $8 billion in support through direct loans.
It also imposes stiff sanctions and export controls on Russia, including on financial institutions, the oil and mining sectors, and Russian officials.
The passage comes as the European Union, another of Ukraine’s allies, agreed this week to open talks with Kyiv on the first cluster of issues in its accession process. That followed agreement on a 90 billion euro loan package to boost Ukraine’s defense and economy.