The US Senate decided on Thursday to postpone the recess at the end of the year to have more time to reach an agreement on a package of measures for Ukraine, its leader Chuck Schumer said, according to AFP.

Congress, which unblocked huge amounts of aid for Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022, is not agreeing to the latest extension sought by Democratic President Joe Biden for Kyiv.

Democrats support the roughly $61 billion package, which includes military, humanitarian and macroeconomic components.

With the exception of a few far-right elected officials, Republicans aren’t exactly against it. But in exchange for their vote, they demand a significant strengthening of US immigration policy, which is the subject of heated negotiations.

In theory, MPs only had until Thursday evening to agree on the text before work was suspended for the holidays.

“The Senate will go into session on Monday to give negotiators on behalf of the White House, Democrats and Senate Republicans time to reach an agreement,” Senator Chuck Schumer finally decided.

During a visit to Washington this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the American electorate to unite by the end of the year, saying that “Putin and his cabal of rowdies” enjoy “endless business on Capitol Hill.”

However, for final approval, the package for Ukraine must be approved by the other chamber of Congress, the House of Representatives, which has already adjourned for the year.

In theory, elected officials could be recalled from their constituencies if the text were put on the table.

But their chairman, Republican Mike Johnson, has been much more cautious about the possibility of a deal throughout the process.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the Kremlin has been betting that Western aid will run out, and any wavering on the part of Kyiv’s allies strengthens Russia’s belief that its risk will pay off.

“These raffles may end sometime. And they are obviously coming to an end,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference on Thursday.

Instead, the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that he is confident that “the US Congress will soon make a decisive decision to continue vital support to Ukraine.”