Weapons stockpile shortages will likely force Washington to delay shipments of promised military aid to Ukraine, CNN reported on Friday, citing two US officials familiar with the matter.
The report comes as Kiev has been asking its foreign backers to speed up the delivery of arms and to lift the restrictions on the use of long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory.
According to the Pentagon, the US has $5.9 billion left in the special congressionally approved mechanism (PDA) aimed at fast-tracking aid for Kiev. However, the aid packages have been growing smaller as the weapons stocks dwindle, CNN said.
The currently available PDA is set to expire within the next two weeks since the House of Representatives failed to pass an extension on Wednesday. The White House may be forced to change its approach, “announcing large military aid packages that will take months to deliver,” as opposed to smaller shipments, the channel said.
Washington believes Kiev will need at least half a billion worth of PDA per month throughout fiscal year 2025, CNN reports, citing a senior White House official.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal said Western officials warned Kiev that “a full Ukrainian victory” would require immense resources that neither the US nor Europe can provide.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is expected to present his new “victory plan” to US President Joe Biden next week. The success of the plan will “directly depend on the approval and support of the United States,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian commanders and politicians have repeatedly blamed the delays in weapons deliveries for battlefield losses and the failure to hold off Russian advances.
Moscow has warned that no amount of Western aid will stop its troops from achieving the goals of the military operation or change the ultimate outcome of the conflict.