Biden urges House to act quickly on Ukraine aid: ‘History is watching’

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on the Republican-led House of Representatives to act quickly to approve the $95.34bn (£75.69bn) defence aid package which passed the Senate by a vote of 70-29 earlier in the day, warning House Speaker Mike Johnson and his colleagues that their actions will be remembered long in the future.

“If we don’t stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s appetite for power and control in Ukraine, he won’t limit himself just to Ukraine, and the cost for America and our allies and partners are going to rise,” he said, speaking from the State Dining Room in the White House just hours after the Senate vote.

“For Republicans in Congress who think they can oppose funding for Ukraine and not be held accountable. History is watching… failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten,’ he added.

Mr Biden urged Mr Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who first gained a measure of prominence in late 2020 by leading GOP efforts to help former president Donald Trump remain in office despite losing the 2020 presidential election, to allow the lower chamber to take up the legislation “immediately,” citing the bipartisan support it received in the Senate and would undoubtedly receive in the House if allowed to reach the floor.

While the president called on Mr Johnson to “let the full House speak its mind” rather than “allow a minority of most extreme voices… to block this bill even from being voted on,” it’s unlikely that the House speaker will let the foreign aid bill see the light of day.

That’s because Mr Trump has all but ordered him and other Republicans to oppose the defence aid measure, which if passed would deliver a foreign policy victory to Mr Biden in an election year.