Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Speaker Mike Johnson for “determining to put history on the right track” after Johnson passed a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in the House of Representatives on Saturday. He said he was personally grateful.
The sight of scores of Democrats waving Ukrainian flags and cheering on the House floor as the bill passed will forever sting Johnson’s rising conservatives, but for them it was the ultimate betrayal. It just becomes.
I want to thank the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and Speaker Mike Johnson personally for putting history on the right track.
Democracy and freedom will always be of global importance and will never fail as long as America supports them.
— Volodymyr Zelensky / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2024
“I’m grateful to the U.S. House of Representatives, both parties, and Speaker Mike Johnson personally for making this decision that puts history on the right track,” Zelenskiy gleefully wrote in a post on X after the vote.
He continued: “The important US aid bill passed by the House of Representatives today will stop the war from escalating, save thousands of lives, and help both countries emerge stronger.”
This is the U.S. House of Representatives, under the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson. Democrats are celebrating his complete surrender without any victory in securing the border. #MTV pic.twitter.com/TtaIgnX9eg
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 20, 2024
That assessment is debatable. Certainly, just a few months ago, Mike Johnson would have argued strongly against that. But a long and intense pressure campaign by the strong-willed Zelenskiy (who appeared to charm the diminutive Louisiana lawmaker during their meeting) and the White House proved successful.
Johnson’s success on Saturday cemented a stunning reversal from his long-held position of being fervently opposed to advancing foreign aid without securing America’s own borders.
But for Mr. Zelensky and the Democrats, who gleefully waved foreign flags on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Johnson’s betrayal of his previous positions was something to be applauded.
“Thank you, America!” Zelenskiy said.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
