US House Speaker Johnson discusses aid to Ukraine with White House and will "consult" with Trump

Republican Party leader Steve Scalise has said that Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is in talks with the White House on financial aid for Ukraine.

According to Associated Press, Scalise told reporters that Johnson and White House officials were discussing a package that would differ from the Senate's proposed US$95 billion security package and include several Republican demands.

"There’s been no agreement reached. Obviously there would have to [be] an agreement reached not just with the White House, but with our own members," Scalise said.

In addition, the Republican speaker plans to travel to former US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Friday for a meeting.

Johnson has been in consultations with him over the past few weeks regarding Ukraine funding, aiming to secure his support or, at the very least, prevent him from openly opposing the package, the agency said.

Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, stated this week that he and Trump had discussed ways to move forward with aid to Ukraine "in-depth" with Johnson.

It is unclear whether Trump will express any political support for the package. Still, Mullin indicated that he hopes the former president will back it, especially now that Johnson's job is on the line.

Republican Marjorie Taylor Green has issued a threat, stating that she would attempt to remove Johnson from office if he pushes for funding for Ukraine.

Johnson has been in talks with the White House to pass a bill that would structure some of the funding for Kyiv as loans, open the way for the US to access frozen assets belonging to Russia's central bank, and make other changes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently said that Ukraine would accept a loan from the US in the absence of other options.