WASHINGTON, May 20, (AFP) : The US Congress on Thursday approved a gargantuan $40 billion aid package for Ukraine to help fight Russia's invasion as President Joe Biden rallied behind the historic NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland.
With unusually bipartisan support, the Senate voted 86-11 to pass the package-the equivalent of the 2020 GDP of Cameroon-after one senator briefly held up the vote, voicing alarm on the costs.
"Aid for Ukraine goes far beyond charity," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
"The future of American security and core strategic interests will be shaped by the outcome of this fight," he said ahead of the vote.
The bundle includes $6 billion earmarked for Ukraine to boost its armored vehicle inventory and air defense system.
Nearly $9 billion is set aside to help Ukraine ensure "continuity of government" as well as humanitarian aid.
Congress already approved almost $14 billion for Ukraine in mid-March, weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned the world with his invasion, but most has been spent.
As Russian forces have given up on seizing Kyiv but have stepped up fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, Biden has been calling for another round of financial support.
The House of Representatives had approved the $40 billion package last week but Rand Paul, like McConnell a Republican from Kentucky, prevented a quick vote in the Senate.
Paul, who opposes US interventionism, voiced concern about the cost and said that lawmakers should have been clearer on how to pay for the package and on monitoring where the money goes.
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