WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - A sweeping foreign aid

package easily passed the U.S. Congress late on Tuesday after

months of delay, clearing the way for fresh Ukraine funding amid

advances from Russia's invasion force and Kyiv's shortages of

military supplies.

The Senate approved by 79 to 18 four bills passed by the

House of Representatives on Saturday, after House Republican

leaders abruptly switched course last week and allowed a vote on

the $95 billion in mostly military aid for Ukraine, Israel and

Taiwan and U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific.

The four bills were combined into one package in the Senate.

The largest provides $61 billion in critically needed

funding for Ukraine; a second provides $26 billion for Israel

and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones around the

world, and a third mandates $8.12 billion to "counter communist

China" in the Indo-Pacific.

A fourth, which the House added to the package last week,

includes a potential ban on the Chinese-controlled social media

app TikTok, measures for the transfer of seized Russian assets

to Ukraine and new sanctions on Iran.

Biden has promised to sign the measure into law as soon as

it reaches his desk, and his administration is already preparing

a $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine, the first to be

sourced from the bill, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

The Senate's Democratic and Republican leaders predicted

that Congress had turned the corner in putting Russian President

Vladimir Putin and other foreign adversaries on notice that

Washington will continue supporting Ukraine and other foreign

partners.

"This is an inflection point in history. Western democracy

perhaps faced its greatest threat since the end of the Cold

War," Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in the

Senate.

The aid package could be the last approved for Ukraine until

after elections in November when the White House, House of

Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for grabs.

Much of the opposition to the security assistance in both

the House and Senate has come from Republicans with close ties

to former U.S. President Donald Trump, a Ukraine aid skeptic who

has stressed "America First" policies as he seeks a second term.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, a strong advocate

for assisting Ukraine, expressed regret about the delay, largely

due to hardline Republicans' objections to adding more to the

$113 billion Washington had authorized for Kyiv since Russia

began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"I think we've turned the corner on the isolationist

movement," McConnell told a news conference.

Some of the Ukraine money - $10 billion in economic support

- comes in the form of a loan, which Trump had suggested. But

the bill lets the president forgive the loan starting in 2026.

HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS

The influx of weapons should improve Kyiv's chances of

averting a major breakthrough in the east by Russian invaders,

although it would have been more helpful if the aid had come

closer to when Biden requested it last year, analysts said.

It was not immediately clear how the money for Israel would

affect the conflict in Gaza. Israel already receives billions of

dollars in annual U.S. security assistance, but it more recently

has faced its first direct aerial attack by Iran.

Aid supporters hope the humanitarian assistance will help

Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel's

campaign against Hamas to retaliate for Oct. 7 attacks that

killed 1,200 people.

Gaza health authorities say the campaign has led to the

deaths of more than 34,000 civilians in the Palestinian enclave.

It was the second time this year that the Democratic-led

Senate passed security aid for Ukraine, Israel and the

Indo-Pacific. The last bill, more than two months ago, garnered

70% support in the 100-member chamber from Republicans and

Democrats. But leaders of the Republican-controlled House would

not allow a vote on the foreign aid until last week.

The legislation's progress has been closely watched by

industry, with U.S. defense firms up for major contracts to

supply equipment for Ukraine and other U.S. partners.

Experts expect the supplemental spending to boost the order

backlog of RTX Corp ( RTX ) along with other major companies

that receive government contracts, such as Lockheed Martin ( LMT )

, General Dynamics ( GD ) and Northrop Grumman ( NOC ).

The House passed the Ukraine funding by 311-112, with all

"no" votes coming from Republicans, many of whom were bitterly

opposed to further assistance for Kyiv. Only 101 Republicans

voted for it, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson to rely on Democratic

support and prompting calls for his ouster as House leader.

However, the House left Washington for a week-long recess,

without triggering a vote to remove Johnson.