Kharkiv's Fate Hangs in Balance Amid Calls for Urgent Aid
Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that Kharkiv is on the verge of falling. "The world is on fire. History will judge us by our actions... Were you Chamberlain, or were you Churchill?" he added, calling for the adoption of bills to aid Ukraine and Israel.
After Iran's attacks on Israel, there were voices that the USA would now focus on directing aid to the government in Tel Aviv. At the same time, the chances of providing aid to Ukraine are decreasing.
Chairman McCaul discussed the plan to vote on four separate bills during the conference concerning support for Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific countries and, among other things, the confiscation of frozen Russian assets. He noted that the situation in Kharkiv is very serious, and the entire energy network could be destroyed.
"Kharkiv is on the verge of falling, that's 2 million people"
"The world is on fire. History will judge us by our actions... Were you Chamberlain, or were you Churchill?" McCaul said. He added that on Monday, he spoke with the US ambassador in Ukraine and found that "Kharkiv is on the verge of falling." "The power grade can be taken down. That's a very dire situation," the politician added.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson informed the conference that he plans to vote on all four bills and send them to the Senate this week before the next Congress break. However, Johnson is aware that success is not guaranteed due to intense resistance from the extreme wing of the Republicans, who have sharply criticized his plan.
"We are in unprecedented times. Okay. We’re in dangerous times. This has been articulated here around the world and here at home. We need steady leadership. We need steady hands at the wheel. Look, I regard myself as a as a wartime speaker," Johnson said in response to the criticism.
"We don't want to sink any plan that delivers aid to our allies"
The Republican majority leader, Steve Scalise, asked about a possible Plan B in case Johnson's plan failed and assured them that failure was not an option.
Johnson will need the support of Democrats to maintain his position and avoid the fate of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, who was removed from office by the far right. Their leader, Pete Aguilar, suggested that his party would not support the overthrow of the speaker at this time.
"We’re less concerned on what process is used. If there is a reasonable process that legislative leaders on both sides of the Capitol agree on, and the White House, then we look forward to making this happen. But this needs to happen by the end of the week." concluded Aguilar.
