Republicans craft Ukraine aid package amid internal divisions

Mike Johnson hopes that the package being prepared by Republicans "will not alienate conservatives who oppose further funding for the war-torn country," reports NBC.

However, it should be emphasized that the Republicans' plans regarding funds for Kyiv are still evolving. There are already some key proposals on the table. It's possible that part of the economic aid for rebuilding the country will come in the form of a loan. In addition, Russian assets that the government secured as part of sanctions could be used. This means that Russian assets would serve as collateral for loans to Ukraine.

Offering loans as part of the package is intended to alleviate the concerns of conservatives in the House of Representatives, who criticized the billion-pound US aid for Ukraine and said they would not support the further sending of taxpayers' money without a long-term plan for winning the war – emphasizes NBC News.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul emphasized that such a solution would imply that Russia would be partly responsible for financing the reconstruction of Ukraine.

- We are considering two factors. One of them is my bill, which will allow us to seize assets related to Russian sovereign assets that have been sanctioned, to help pay for Russian war crimes. This is a very popular idea in the House - explained Republican McCaul. - Secondly, the loan program. At the end of the day, Russian state assets will finance it or simply default on their obligations.

Discussions about aid for Ukraine have been ongoing in American politics for several weeks. In mid-February, the Senate passed an aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan amounting to £76 billion. The Senate sent the package for approval to the Republican-dominated House of Representatives. There, Republicans are not rushing to adopt the package.

An official from the National Security Council said last December that "if an agreement is not reached in Congress, we will not be able to deliver more aid without jeopardizing the military readiness of the USA".