Pentagon has allocated almost all of $400 million in aid for Ukraine ahead of end of financial year
The Pentagon has contracted out almost all of the $400 million in military aid allocated by the US Congress to Ukraine — one day before the end of the financial year.
This is reported by the Washington Sun, according to Censor.NET.
How much funding was allocated?
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, told the publication that, according to his information, 99.8 per cent of the funds had been allocated on Tuesday, 29 September.
The allocation took place before the end of the financial year on Wednesday, 30 September. The ministry had previously allocated $307 million and planned to do the same with the remaining $93 million by the deadline.
What will the funds be spent on?
The Pentagon’s plan allocates $200 million for weapons, ammunition and explosives, $99.9 million for vehicles, spare parts and equipment, and $100 million for services such as the transport of military equipment.
"The fact that they are finally doing this, practically on the very last possible day, says everything there is to know about this relationship. They do not keep us informed in good time. They do not abide by the law, and our partnership is going through difficult times," said Koons.
What led up to it?
- During a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit on 8 July, US President Donald Trump stated that the US might grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture missiles for the Patriot air defence systems. At the end of last week, he noted that Washington should be "very cautious" about granting Ukraine such a licence.
- In August, the US Permanent Representative to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, stated that there would be no agreement with Ukraine on the production of Patriot missiles before winter.
- In early September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States and Ukraine were in talks regarding the transfer of a licence to manufacture missiles for the Patriot air defence systems.
- Previously, Donald Trump’s administration had made a legal commitment to spend almost all of the $400 million that the US Congress had approved for military aid to Ukraine at the end of last year. However, interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defence system were not included in this package.
