The House voted 226-195 Thursday to approve legislation providing over $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine and imposing new sanctions on Russia, including 500% tariffs on Russian goods.
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The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday providing substantial military and reconstruction aid to Ukraine while imposing new sanctions on Russia, marking the chamber's second major foreign policy break with President Donald Trump in a week.
The bill passed 226-195, with support from all Democrats and a handful of Republican defectors. The legislation was sponsored by Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, who serves as the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The measure was brought to a floor vote through a discharge petition, a procedural tactic that allows a majority of House members to bypass the Speaker and relevant committees. The petition required 218 signatures. It had accumulated most of the necessary names months earlier but remained one signature short until May 13, when Representative Kevin Kiley of California, an independent who caucuses with Republicans, provided the decisive 218th signature. Every Democrat signed the petition, along with Republicans Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. In a procedural vote Wednesday to discharge the measure from the House Rules Committee, approximately half a dozen Republicans voted with Democrats to advance it toward final passage.
The legislation provides more than $1 billion in security and reconstruction aid to Ukraine. It also makes an additional $8 billion available for Ukraine's defense through loans. The bill allocates $300 million in military aid to Ukraine for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
On the sanctions side, the bill imposes 500% tariffs on Russian goods and services. It also provides for additional sanctions against Russian officials, financial organizations, the oil and gas sector, and the coal and mining industries. The legislation requires regular assessment of whether Russia is conducting an armed conflict with Ukraine, violating terms of any peace agreement, or failing to properly negotiate a peaceful settlement, with additional sanctions to follow if conditions are not met.
Republican leaders had opposed the bill, warning that it would undermine ongoing negotiations designed to achieve a comparable but stronger result. The vote reflects impatience among House members with Trump's approach to the war in Ukraine.
The passage came one day after the House, for the first time, approved a war powers resolution aimed at halting U.S. military action against Iran, constituting another significant foreign policy divergence from the Trump administration within the same week.
Meeks had said he expected the vote on the bill to take place later in the week when the discharge petition was first approved.
EU ambassadors backed the loan after Hungary lifted its veto. Final approval expected Thursday following pipeline restart.
The EU approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine while Russian forces made minimal territorial progress in March, according to recent reports.
The Republican-led House voted 215-208 Wednesday to require Trump to seek congressional approval or withdraw forces from the three-month conflict.
Zelenskyy announced sanctions targeting individuals transporting stolen Ukrainian grain and profiting from the scheme, as vessels continue delivering cargo to multiple countries.
Britain eased sanctions on diesel and jet fuel derived from Russian crude oil processed abroad, effective May 20, amid fuel price pressures from regional conflict.
Ukraine's president calls for increased production of unmanned ground vehicles to support frontline operations and save lives amid Russian offensive plans.