Washington finally overcomes partisan infighting to deliver aid for Ukraine. It can’t arrive soon enough for the beleaguered country

The carnage wrought by Vladimir Putin had only intensified as the United States watched passively from the sidelines, laying waste to its reputation as the so-called leader of the free world, paralyzed by partisan political infighting and the myopia of hard-right Republicans who believe that U.S. tax dollars should be spent only on domestic issues.

So, it came as a measure of great relief when, after months of inaction, the U.S. House of Representatives finally stepped up to pass a foreign aid package which included $60 billion (U.S.) for beleaguered Ukraine. That it finally did the right thing is commendable; that it took so long remains a disgrace.

While Republicans dithered, Ukraine ran crucially short of ammunition to counter the Russian invaders. It struggles with an urgent need for artillery, missiles and air defence systems. As recent attacks show, many more Russian missiles are getting past the weakened Ukrainian air protection.

The aid package, which also earmarks funds for Israel and Taiwan, made its way to the U.S. Senate Tuesday where passage was expected as early as Tuesday evening. President Joe Biden has pledged to sign it into law immediately. He said members of both parties sent “a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage.” The Pentagon says it can again start shipping weapons to Ukraine within days.

The vote was a rebuke to Donald Trump, the former president tethered to a seat at the defendant’s table in a New York courtroom. Trump had successfully urged Republicans to hold the line on Ukraine aid unless it was tied to bold action on immigration enforcement on the southern border. He had also claimed he could end the war in Ukraine by simply telling Zelenskyy that Putin should retain whatever territory Ukrainians had ceded during the war. A sop to Trump came in the form of an amendment making $10 billion of the aid package to Kyiv in the form of a repayable loan, which Trump had advocated. It was diluted by allowing the U.S. to forgive the loan in 2026.

Trump was defied by a man who had not appeared to be ready to take bold action himself, House Speaker Mike Johnson. Facing threats from his right rump that pushing passage of the bill will cost him his job, Johnson put his job on the line and forged ahead with help from Democrats, a move that further outraged his internal opponents and could plunge the party into another internecine war in Washington. But Johnson warned colleagues that continued congressional intransigence could lead to a Putin push through the Baltic Republics and into Poland.

“I think every American in this country should be furious,” said Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia congresswoman who has vowed to lead the charge to remove Johnson from his post. Her colleagues who backed Johnson are unworthy of the support of American voters, she said.

All of Ukraine’s allies, including the European Union countries and certainly Canada, could do more for Kyiv, but the reality is all of it would fall short without the help of the United States. Belatedly, it has done the right thing.

As Mike McCaul, a Republican from Texas, said in urging his party to make the right choice “As we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself this question: ‘Am I Chamberlain or Churchill?’ ”