The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to bring aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia, demonstrating that some Republicans are willing to defy their party’s leaders and oppose President Donald Trump.
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The House, where there is a Republican majority, voted 226 to 195 in favor of the Ukraine Support Act, which reached the floor after months of stalemate. A few Republicans joined Democrats to force the vote.
On Thursday, 18 Republicans, and an independent who normally votes with them, joined Democrats to pass the bill. It was the most recent sign of a fissure in the virtually unanimous support that members of Trump’s party had given to his policies.
The approval came a day after a small group of House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a resolution that would force the withdrawal of troops from hostilities with Iran, unless Congress declares war or orders the use of military force.
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Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, called the decision in a post on X “a significant step forward that reflects continued bipartisan support for Ukraine.”
Uncertain future for the law supporting Ukraine
However, the future of the Ukraine Support Act is uncertain. To become law, it must be approved in the Senate, whose Republican leaders have not allowed votes on Russia sanctions legislation, which has broad bipartisan support, claiming they would await Trump’s guidelines. If approved in the Senate, Trump would likely veto the bill.
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While many members of Congress from both parties strongly supported Ukraine in the early years after the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, some of Trump’s closest Republican allies, including House and Senate leaders, have become more distant with Kyiv since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
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Furthermore, since the beginning of his second term, the president has kept decisions on sanctions in the hands of the White House, rather than Congress.
U.S. aid to the Kyiv government has drastically decreased, even as Russia and Ukraine attack each other with missiles, drones, and artillery. Peace talks are stalled, as Ukraine rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that it cede territory it has successfully defended since 2022.
The Ukraine Support Act includes measures to help Ukraine rebuild after the war, authorizes over one billion dollars in assistance for Kyiv and up to eight billion dollars in direct loan support. It also imposes severe sanctions and controls on Russian exports, including financial institutions, oil, mining, and Russian officials.
The approval of the law comes after the European Union, another ally of Ukraine, agreed this week to begin talks with Kyiv on the first set of issues in its accession negotiations. This followed an agreement on the distribution of a 90 billion euro loan to boost Ukraine’s defense and economy.
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