9. 5 billion in economic help, in the form of Forgiveable Loans that the us president is authorized to set the terms of and given the power to cancel. And a much smaller measure includes 481 million that will be used to help ukrainians resettle into new neighbourhoods and pay for emergency housing. Once the bill is finalized, it would take less than a week for some of the weapons to reach the battlefield. Congress will be voting in the wake of more deadly attacks on ukrainian civilians. On friday, russian missiles struck a rail station and a Maternity Hospital in the central Dnipro Petrovsk region. Local Officials Say at least seven people were killed including an 8 year old child. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told nato members on friday that ukraine needs more air Defence Systems to counter russian strikes. Putin must be brought down to earth, and our sky must become safe again. And it is real. And it depends fully on your choice. Choice whether life is indeed equally valuable everywhere, choice whether you have equal attitude to all partners, choice whether we indeed are allies. Ukraines Prime MinisterDenis Shmyhal was in Washington Dc this week and told the bbc about the dire implications globally if the conflict continues to roll on. If ukraine will fall, so the global system of security will be destroyed, and all the world will need to find and will need to look for a new system of security. Or there will be many conflicts, many such kind of wars and at the end of the day it will lead to the third world war. Democratic congressman jim himes is the Ranking Member on the us House Permanent Select Committee on intelligence. He has supported sending aid to ukraine since russia invaded in 2022. He told the bbc how quickly he thinks the aid will reach the frontlines. The Senate Passed their equivalent bill two months ago and the two month delay in the house as very literally been lethal for far too many ukrainians and has opened up the ukrainians to attacks on our power plants, it has created immense misery in ukraine, for what . For a two month politically partisan driven debate that we will hopefully result tomorrow. The good news is, and i have spent a fair amount of time with our Defence Department and other agencies, i think once this bill passes and is signed by the president , getting ammunition and aid into ukraine is a matter of days, not weeks or months. And on the heels of fresh russian strikes and ahead of a key vote for us aid to ukraine i spoke about all of the latest with Melinda Haring, a Senior Advisor at razom for ukraine, a nonprofit Human Rights Organization supporting ukraine. I want to start off by talking about how mikejohnson delayed bringing this the on ukraine aid for several months, there was a bill sitting in the senate that did not come to the house. Why do you think now he is changing his stance . Even though bringing a Ukraine Aid Bill could risk hisjob . Though bringing a Ukraine Aid Bill could risk his job . Bill could risk his ob . Thank ou for bill could risk his ob . Thank you for doing bill could risk his job . Thank you for doing this, bill could risk his job . Thank you for doing this, i bill could risk his job . Thank you for doing this, i think i bill could risk his job . Thank| you for doing this, i think my johnson has seen the light. He is a person of deep religious conviction and i think the moral arguments have swayed him. Its notjust the moral arguments, many people spoke with him about this decision and he did not know that there were a lot that russia was persecuting and torturing questions and people were able to see him and tell him their stories and pray with them so that emotional heart had a factor in it. He also received multiple very dire Intelligence Briefings and i think that scared him as well. Politics were involved as well, this has been a long process, a two month delay that could have been resolved sooner. He is a complicated legislative piece that had to satisfy republicans, democrats to make this happen maga republicans. Myjohnson is new to this role as well. It is a miracle that we are where we are that we expect the aid bill to go through tomorrow. That is exected to go through tomorrow. That is exnected to to go through tomorrow. That is expected to happen to go through tomorrow. That is expected to happen on to go through tomorrow. That is expected to happen on capitol l expected to happen on capitol hill tomorrow. We do think it will pass and we will have to wait and see what happens and i want to talk about the details within the foreign aid bills, there are several of them, the senate bill has been split off. Some of the aid for ukraine that comes in the form of loans, also language that would seize russian assets to help finance this. What are you making of the details . There is much ado making of the details . There is much ado about nothing making of the details . There is much ado about nothing with l making of the details . There is i much ado about nothing with the loans, i think they are a small part of the entire package. I expect that aspect will be for given. There are new things i like in the house bill, demands the white house and these are the white house and these are the long range rockets that ukraine has been begging and pleading for and these are so important because the additional length allows ukraine to strike crimea and hit in occupied ukraine. And it depots and get Behind Enemy Lines and they had not been able to do that because the white house has been cowardly. The republicans are going to force the white house to send these long range attacks. Thats a good thing. This is the act that would send 300 billion in russian state assets, it would seize them and transfer them and allow the money to be used for russias reconstruction and that is a great thing. It needs to happen and we have seen sentiment change on that as well. I was struck by change on that as well. I was struck by something change on that as well. I was struck by something the change on that as well. I was l struck by something the mayor of Ukraine Second biggest city said, who said we need a defence support to prevent this becoming a target. Becoming a target. When i look at the package becoming a target. When i look at the package that becoming a target. When i look at the package that is becoming a target. When i look at the package that is before i at the package that is before congress the things i want to see in ukraine tonight are 155 millimetres shells and more air Defence Systems and the attic on did something smart. It has been raining for this bill to been raining for this bill to be passed and it has a lot of these Weapon Systems in ammunition ready to go in europe so as soon as Congress Passes the bill biden will sign it immediately and the Weapon Systems can be sent. A defence is essential and we have seen it was lives and dozens of people die in the last week, you said in dnipro an these are innocent people who dont need to die. Congress has not been able to act, we are seeing unnecessary suffering because of it. I unnecessary suffering because of it. ~ ,. , of it. I think the question may be that did of it. I think the question may be that did the of it. I think the question may be that did the us of it. I think the question may be that did the us make of it. I think the question may be that did the us make a be that did the us make a mistake by not providing this Weapon Assistance at the beginning of the conflict and instead dragging it out and providing more of a trickle in terms of weaponry . Providing more of a trickle in terms of weaponry . Thats an easy question. Terms of weaponry . Thats an easy question. Absolutely terms of weaponry . Thats an | easy question. Absolutely yes. We would be in a much different place, ukraine would be in a different place, american interests, European Security would be in a far different place if we had the courage at the beginning of the war that we are showing now. Present biden is self deterred, he put many lines impositions on what the us could do in places that were not necessary. He said he would not send tanks or attack is, hes put these limitations in place and he ends up sending them and he finally does the right thing but its too late and the cost has been enormous and the cost has been enormous and the cost is Human Suffering and the cost is Human Suffering and lives lost in ukraine. Earlier, i spoke to igor novikov, a former advisor to president zelenskyy, in kyiv on what this crucial vote on saturday means for ukraine. We are inspecting a vote in the house on a us aid bill for ukraine this weekend. Just from ukraines perspective, what is at stake here . Well the simple answer is everything. We are under attack from a country that is willing to take our land and kill us all pretty much. And we have seen proof of that in bucha and mariupol and elsewhere. We are fighting for our lives, fighting without weapons, it is way more difficult and any delay has a certain and tragic price and that is human lives. The bbc has been speaking with ukraines Prime Minister, he told us ukraine needed this aid yesterday. Can you help us understand what has been the real world impact of this month long delay in passing any kind of Supplementary Aid for ukraine . I would say the actual effect was twofold. For ukraine the cost was human lives, we have started running out of air defences and the soldiers on the front line had to actually ration the weapons that they use to protect their lives. Obviously we have lost some territory and lost a lot of lives because of this delay, because of the bureaucracy. But there is also more to this than just ukraine. I think it will have far reaching global consequences because first of all ukraine was actually disarmed in the framework of the budapest memorandum in 1994, we had Security Guarantees from the uk, the us and russia. So we gave up one of the Largest Nuclear arsenals in the world and just think what is going to do to the Global Nuclear non proliferation, also if you check out the news coming from iran, north korea, yemen and elsewhere in the world, i think this delay, this Achilles Heel of the free world, this bureaucratic Achilles Heel has actually told the so called axis of evil one thing, now is your chance, grab it. I am curious, we have heard a lot from some members of the Republican Party saying the us has already given billions of dollars to ukraine, it simply cant afford to give billions more, there are several groups of american citizens, of Republican Voters who would say the same thing. Can you sympathise at all with the Point Of View . No i cannot, because i think it is just an inability to look at the future scenario. If we just told russia, look, we will stay out of it, im in the United States, then russia will be encouraged to go further into europe and sooner or later will start attacking the us. It already has, there has been cyber attacks, there has been disinformation and influence campaigns in the us, and i think if we look at what is happening in the american democracy at the moment, i think russia had a lot to do with that as well. Crosstalk we are seeing a brewing conflict in the middle east, i am sure you have been watching with israel and iran Trading Missiles back and forth now, what do you think and what is your impression on how the events in the middle east might be affecting the war in ukraine and public attention, has it increased the urgency for this aid package, or does ukraine feel like attention has shifted elsewhere . I would say initially when 7 october happened in israel it distracted a lot of attention, and in some shape and form it paved the road to this six month delay. But what has happened between iran and israel recently actually brought attention back to ukraine as well. I think the west is slowly waking up to the fact that it is not only about ukraine or israel, its a hybrid world war iii pretty much between the axis of evil, being iran, north korea and russia and a couple of other countries, and the free world, and it is the fight for what the future world actually looks like. Igor novikov, joining us from kyiv, thank you very much. When it comes to the battlefield. Ukraine is now in a situation comparable only tojust after the full scale russian invasion in february 2022. Not only have conditions along the frontline significantly worsened, but the very possibility of a ukrainian defeat is now being discussed openly. Lets look at the front line and how it is evolving. The ukrainians withdrew from this eastern town of avdivka in february and since then, russia has been focusing attacks around the villages in the Southern Zaporizhzhia Region where ukraine made gains in 2023. There is intense fighting around donetsk also a large concentration of Russian Troops across the borderfrom kharkiv, ukraines second largest city. Where russia has been using glide bombs for the first time. In fact the lack of anti aircraft missiles has exposed all ukrainian Front Line Units to renewed russian attacks, they are now dropping thousands of bombs on defensive positions for the first time in this war. And i spoke to Melinda Haring again to discuss this further. We saw that map of the front lines and how it is being reshaped by this russian advance. What do you make of where the war stands now . The war is at a where the war stands now . The war is at a very where the war stands now . Tue war is at a very dangerous point, the ukrainians are having a hard time holding that very long line that you have just shown your audience. And delete is the United States delay in congress has made it more difficult. The town of avdivka did not have to fall. There is huge pressure now and it could fall very quickly, theres a lot of talk about a russian offensive and the russians try to Retake Kharkiv in the north soon. Initial Intelligence Assessment say that if we do nothing within a matter of weeks that the ratio between russia to ukraine shells is going to be ten to one. The Ukrainian Side has been rationing for a long time so the situation is very dire and it is urgently United States make the decision to send the weapons, the europeans dont have the ammunition, they cannot flip a switch and send the ammo that the United States can. Thats why the decision is so crucial right now. We can. Thats why the decision is so crucial right now. So crucial right now. We heard from the former so crucial right now. We heard from the former adviser so crucial right now. We heard from the former adviser to from the former adviser to volodymyr zelensky, the president under enormous pressure since the invasion began. What will this moment in the war now look like for him . He is under a lot of pressure, the Mobilisation Decision in particular really has strained society. The troops were on the front lines have been out there for more than two years and i went out to the frontlines to zaporizhzhia an october and they told me they were frustrated that they felt like they and their families were bearing the brunt of society and zelensky had not put the economy in a war footing and he had not turned over the troops. Parliament has solved the problem, it took too long in my opinion, but i think zelenskyy� s numbers, he is trying very hard to Keep Society Going at this hard moment. It is an on enviable position that he is in right now. � ,. , ~ position that he is in right now. 2. , ~. , position that he is in right now. 2. , now. Lets talk about russia, under these now. Lets talk about russia, under these heavy now. Lets talk about russia, under these heavy western l under these heavy western sanctions with arguments about how effective they have been. There was a recent bbc investigation that revealed russia has lost at least 50,000 soldiers in this war. To what extent do you think russia and of course Vladimir Putin are feeling the impact of the conflict more than a couple of years in . Conflict more than a couple of ears in . ,. , ~ years in . Unfortunately i think russia can years in . Unfortunately i think russia can go years in . Unfortunately i think russia can go on years in . Unfortunately i think russia can go on as years in . Unfortunately i think russia can go on as is years in . Unfortunately i think russia can go on as is for years in . 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