By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to provide aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia, the latest sign that some Republicans are willing to defy party leaders and push back against President Donald Trump.
The House voted 226 to 195 for the Ukraine Support Act, which reached the floor after languishing for months. A handful of Republicans joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition to force the vote.
On Thursday, 18 Republicans and one independent who normally votes with them joined Democrats to pass the bill. It was the latest sign of a crack in what had been virtually unanimous support among members of Trump's party for his policies.
Passage came a day after a smaller 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.
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, in a post on X called the decision 'an important step forward and (which) reflects continued bipartisan support for Ukraine'.
FUTURE OF SUPPORT ACT UNCERTAIN
However, the future of the Ukraine Support Act is uncertain. To become law it must be passed in the Senate, whose Republican leaders have not allowed votes on Russia sanctions legislation that has broad bipartisan support, saying they would wait for Trump's guidance.
If it did pass the Senate, the bill would likely be vetoed by Trump.
While many members of Congress from both parties strongly supported Ukraine in the first years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, some of Trump's closest Republican allies - including House and Senate leadership - have grown cooler towards Kyiv since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
The president has also kept decisions on sanctions at the White House, not Congress, since starting his second term.
U.S. aid to the Kyiv government has slowed sharply even as Russia and Ukraine have been pummeling each other with missiles, drones and artillery. Peace talks are stalled, with Ukraine rejecting Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand that it surrender territory it has successfully defended since 2022.
The Ukraine Support Act includes measures to help Ukraine rebuild after the war, authorizes more than $1 billion in assistance for Kyiv, and up to $8 billion in support via direct loans.
It also imposes stiff sanctions and export controls on Russia, including on financial institutions, oil and mining and Russian officials.
The passage comes as the European Union, another Ukraine's ally, agreed this week to open talks with Kyiv on the first cluster of issues in their accession talks. That followed an agreement on a 90 billion euro loan distribution to boost Ukraine's defense and economy.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova; Editing by Nia Williams, Ross Colvin and Kim Coghill)
