Mike Johnson says House will vote on Ukraine and Israel aid this week

House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced that plans push on with votes on fresh aid for Israel and Ukraine – after months of delays around sending billions of dollars worth of military aid to Kyiv.

Days after Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel, Mr Johnson announced he would try and advance the aid package amid the immense political pressure he has been receiving over how to handle foreign aid, including Republicans who threatened to oust him if he moves forward with gresh funding to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s invasion.

A Senate-approved package $95 billion (£76bn) – which includes aid to Ukraine, Israel and involves a number of other foreign policy priorities – has been sitting for weeks, while Ukraine has faced ammunition shortages and intense Russian attacks.

«There are precipitating events around the globe that we’re all watching very carefully and we know that the world is watching us to see how we react,» Mr Johnson said on Monday.

After meeting with other Republican lawmakers on Monday, Mr Johnson said he would prepare a legislative package that mirrors the $95 billion bill, but divided into three separate sections.

Lawmakers will vote separately on a bill to send funds to Israel, another to allocate money for Ukraine and a third voting on aid for Taiwan and other allies.

Mr Johnson added on X that within his plan, he seeks to “pass additional measures to counter our adversaries and strengthen our national security.”

The initial Senate-passed bill, which received wide bipartisan support, includes roughly $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.

Democrats have repeatedly called on the speaker to put this package on the floor, but Mr Johnson’s plan now seeks to divide up the