Funding delays have forced the US to begin restricting the flow of military assistance to Ukraine, and the Pentagon has only $1 billion left to replenish stocks of weapons that were sent to the country, according to a spokeswoman.
“We have had to meter out our support for Ukraine,” Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. “We’re going to continue to roll out packages but they are getting smaller.”
Singh urged Congress to break a deadlock and approve the Biden administration’s $61.4 billion request for emergency funds for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, part of a $106 billion package that would include aid for Israel and the US-Mexico border. Republicans in the House of Representatives have sought to separate the aid for Ukraine and Israel, an idea the White House opposes.
Earlier: Biden Requests $106 Billion for Israel, Ukraine, Border
The Biden administration also has the option of sending weapons to Ukraine valued at up to $4.9 billion granted under other congressional authorities, Singh said.
Singh also said that the US had burned through about 95% of previous funding for Ukraine, which she said also totaled more than $60 billion. She said the remaining $1 billion is part of a program that allows President Joe Biden to send existing US military hardware to Ukraine and replace it with new orders.
Singh’s warning was only the latest from the administration, which has said repeatedly it’s struggling to keep military aid flowing for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s forces. Last month, the Pentagon’s comptroller said a possible government shutdown later this month, would slow the pace of replacing weapons stockpiles sent to Ukraine.
(Updates with other possible aid, in fourth paragraph.)
