The US Defense Department has said it plans to continue sending arms to Ukraine until the last day of President Joe Biden’s administration, and hopes to drain the remaining authorized funds for supplies before President-elect Donald Trump takes over.
The White House intends to expedite weapons shipments to Ukraine, Reuters and Politico reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous US officials’ concerns that even if Biden approves new aid, it could take the Pentagon months to deliver equipment to Ukraine, and that the next commander-in-chief could halt shipments at any time.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told journalists on Thursday that even if some items are currently out of stock or take longer to send, the Defense Department expects Trump not to block any pending packages approved by his predecessor. She explained that the Pentagon can still supply Kiev with around $4 billion worth of arms through the previously committed Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and approximately $2 billion through the separate Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
“When it comes to presidential drawdown packages, some things can arrive within days and weeks. Some items in those packages take longer. It does matter on what’s available on our shelves,” Singh said.
The USAI contracts, those could go for longer, but again, those are commitments and contracts that this administration has signed, so we would expect those to be upheld.
“So you’re going to continue to see packages roll out in the coming weeks before the end of this administration,” she promised.
When asked whether the Pentagon has enough weapons and equipment in its stockpiles to send to Ukraine and draw down the remaining allocated funds before January 20, the spokesperson dodged the question, insisting “we’re always constantly backfilling and restocking our shelves.”
“I’m not going to get into an Excel spreadsheet of what we have on our shelves, but we’re committed to providing Ukraine what it needs and that includes that $4 billion in authority,” she said. “We are going to use it and the president has committed to that.”
Since February 2022, the US Congress has approved more than $174 billion in military and other aid to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Despite concerns over a potential shift in policy, Trump has yet to announce any specific plans for US taxpayer-funded aid to Kiev.
Trump repeatedly claimed on the campaign trail that he could end the Ukraine conflict in 24 hours if reelected. He also stated that Ukraine cannot win against Russia militarily, and has criticized Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky as “the greatest salesman in history,” who secures billions every time he visits Washington without getting any closer to victory.