The U.S. Senate unanimously adopted a resolution in support of Kyiv on Thursday evening, The Hill reports.
“This was a very significant resolution that we passed. It was led by Senators Shaheen [democrat Jeanne Shaheen] and Portman [republican Rob Portman] and sends a very strong message to Mr. Putin that the United States Senate, Democrats and Republicans of all different ideologies, are united in defending Ukraine in the ways that the administration sees fit,” the Hill quoted Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer as saying.
And the fate of the resolution was in limbo earlier Thursday after republican Sen. Rand Paul warned that he would object to quickly passing it without changes, The Hill said.
Because senators wanted to fast-track passage of the resolution, they needed buy-in from all 100 senators, it said.
According to The Hill, sponsors of the resolution made changes to address Paul’s concerns, including adding language specifying that the resolution, which is nonbinding, was not meant to be viewed as authorization for the use of military force against Russia or authorizing U.S. troops for Ukraine.
The resolution was adopted due to the fact that senators could not agree on a bipartisan bill on sanctions against Russia initiated by Democrat Bob Menendez.
At the same time, Republicans in the Senate on Tuesday unveiled their own bill on sanctions against Russia.
