US Senate votes to begin debate on Ukraine aid bill

The vote took place on Saturday night, Kyiv time, Ukrinform reports.

The initiative was supported by 64 lawmakers, while 19 spoke against it. 17 senators did not participate in the vote. For the decision to be considered approved, at least 60 senators must support the bill.

Thus, the process of consideration and adoption of the bill in the Senate has moved to the next phase, when lawmakers can propose amendments and hold debates over them. In this regard, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on representatives of the Republican Party to demonstrate a constructive approach in the future process.

"I am hopeful that our Republican colleagues can work with us to reach agreement on amendments so that we can move this bill forward more quickly," Schumer emphasized.

He added that Democrats are ready to consider "reasonable and justified amendments" and noted that the Senate will continue to work until everything is done.

Senators are expected to work on the bill over the weekend.

• On February 8, 67 senators voted in favor of the draft law with $95bn in foreign aid. After agreeing on the amendments, the Senate is to vote on the substance of the bill and submit it to the House of Representatives.