U.S. Senate not to vote on Ukraine aid package before early next year

The U.S. Senate will not vote on a package to provide more aid to Ukraine and bolster U.S. border security before early next year, as Democratic and Republican negotiators continue their work.

That's according to the leaders of both parties, Ukrinform reports, citing Reuters.

"Our negotiators are going to be working very, very diligently over the December and January break period, and our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.

The chamber's No. 2 Republican, John Thune, also said a deal would not be reached before January. "Democrats have run out the clock to the point where getting a substantive border security deal passed before Christmas is impossible," he said.

In a joint statement, Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said negotiators "are making encouraging progress" but "challenging issues remain."

"I cannot state how complex this is. It's the most complicated area of American law," said Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent involved in the talks.