The Pentagon is set to expedite around $300 million worth of weapons to Ukraine after identifying some cost savings in its contracts, despite the military budget being overextended. It requires a minimum of $10 billion to replenish the arsenal it has depleted in support of Kyiv's critical struggle against Russia, the White House disclosed on 12 March.
This marks the first security package the Pentagon has announced for Ukraine since December, at which point it recognised the exhaustion of its replenishment funds. It was only in recent times that officials openly admitted to not just being out of funds for replenishment but also being $10 billion in deficit.
The disclosure arises as Ukraine finds itself critically short on ammunition, and attempts to secure additional funding for armaments have been impeded in the House due to Republican resistance. For months, U.S. officials have maintained that the resumption of arms shipments to Ukraine could not proceed until Congress approved the extra funds needed for replenishment, which are tied to the stalled supplemental spending bill.
The replenishment funds have enabled the Pentagon to withdraw current stocks of munitions, air defence systems, and other arms from its reserve inventories under presidential drawdown authority, or PDA. These provisions are then sent to Ukraine, and contracts are placed to restock the depleted arsenal, essential for maintaining the readiness of the U.S. military.
“When Russian forces press forward and their artillery is deployed, Ukraine finds itself lacking sufficient ammunition to retaliate,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated while announcing the provision of an additional $300 million in aid.
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