US House Speaker Mike Johnson's Surprising U-Turn: From Blocking Ukraine Aid to Approving $60 Billion Package

US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a little-known arch-conservative Christian from Louisiana, unexpectedly rose to power in October 2022 after the ouster of Kevin McCarthy.

Previously, Johnson was virtually unknown to the public.

With the support of former President Trump, Johnson became the leader of the House and the Republican-controlled congress, which was embroiled in internal conflict.

In a surprising turn of events, Johnson emerged as a strong advocate for military aid to Ukraine, which was approved by the House on Saturday.

Johnston, who had previously blocked a vote on aid for Ukraine's army facing Russian invasion forces, underwent a significant change in stance.

He recently became an advocate for the long-delayed aid package, leading to its passage in the Senate with a strong bipartisan majority, totaling over $60 billion in military and financial support for Ukraine.

The reason behind Johnson's shift was reportedly due to his growing belief that America must support Ukraine in its own interests, and that the far-right Republicans opposing the aid were incorrect.

(Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, shared this perspective with AFP.) In December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington to request a new aid package as US funding for Ukraine was about to run out.