NYT learned how Speaker Johnson changed his position on Ukraine

The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Mike Johnson, who for a long time refused to submit a draft law on aid to Ukraine, has changed his mind.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to The New York Times.

For a long time, Johnson pondered how best to get the project through the House without losing his job. Among other things, he met in the Oval Office with senior national security officials to discuss classified intelligence.

The Speaker repeatedly met with various groups of Republicans and considered the attitude of their voters toward the financing of Ukraine.

"And finally, when his plan to work with Democrats to clear the way for aid to Ukraine ran into an outpouring of venom from ultra-conservatives who had already threatened to oust him, Mr. Johnson, an evangelical Christian, got down on his knees and prayed for leadership," the paper writes. .

Johnson largely opposed attempts to finance Kyiv's military actions. And from the beginning, he declared that he would never allow this issue to be put to a vote until the demands of his party regarding the border were met.

But by the time he made it clear he planned to team up with Democrats to push through the bailout package, over the objections of many in his own party, Johnson was speaking very differently.

"History will judge us for what we do... Now is a critical time. I could have made a selfish decision and done something else. But I'm doing what I think is right here. I think that providing lethal aid to Ukraine now is critically important." said the speaker.

Johnson attributed his change in part to the intelligence briefings he received, a stunning statement from the leader of a party that has embraced former US President Donald Trump's deep distrust of the intelligence community.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 22/04/2024