Tusk to Johnson on Ukraine aid: “How many more arguments do you need?”

The head of the Polish government, Donald Tusk, called on U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to look at the aftermath of Russia’s deadly strike in Odesa and finally speed up the vote on the package of security and defense aid to Ukraine.

Tusk addressed the issue on X amid the ongoing delay in the U.S. House of Representatives with putting the Ukraine aid issue to the vote, Ukrinform reports.

"Look at Odesa, Speaker Johnson. How many more arguments do you need to make a decision?” Tusk wrote.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in October 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden filed with Congress a request for supplemental national security assistance that included aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, as well as funds to strengthen the U.S. border to address illegal migration issues. After several months of negotiations between Democrat and Republican lawmakers in search for compromise, the Senate passed a bill that provides for support to struggling nations, leaving out the U.S. border issue. Since the bill was forwarded to the House of Representatives, its further adoption has been effectively blocked by House Republicans closely affiliated with former President Donald Trump, who is now the leading GOP candidate expected to run in this year’s presidential election.

As a result of a Russian missile attack on Odesa on March 15, 21 people were killed and over 70 – injured.

As of March 16, a total of 38 Odesans remain in hospitals, 11 of them are in grave condition.