The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden lacks the time to utilize the billions of dollars allocated for arming Ukraine before the end of its term, and after January 20, Donald Trump's team will decide what to do with the remaining funds.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration still has over $6.5 billion in so-called "reduction authorities," which allow the Department of Defense to transfer weapons and equipment from its own stockpiles to Ukraine. However, officials state that the Pentagon has reached the limit of weaponry it can send to Ukraine each month without impacting its own combat readiness, and is facing logistical challenges in delivering arms:
"The U.S. will need to supply weapons worth over $110 million a day, or just under $3 billion in December and January, to timely spend the remaining funds, and according to one congressional representative, 'this is impossible.'
At the same time, Trump’s decision on how to handle the remaining funds will have consequences on the battlefield and will determine how strong Ukraine's influence will be in any potential peace negotiations with Russia. As WSJ reports, U.S. officials are now concerned that the new administration may decide not to supply arms in order to pressure Kyiv to come to the negotiating table.
"Scraping the bottom of the barrel"
According to one military official, the Pentagon currently intends to transfer arms to Ukraine worth between $500 million and $750 million each month, which exceeds the average amount in previous months. However, this would require the Pentagon to reduce U.S. stockpiles to a level that could affect the readiness of its own military, something defense leaders are reluctant to do.
"We are scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of what we can easily send," the official stated.
As U.S. defense representatives noted, upcoming shipments will primarily consist of ammunition and artillery, partly because they are easier to transport. Heavier equipment, such as armored vehicles or tanks, may require months for inspection, testing, and clearance before delivery.
Additionally, according to American officials, the U.S. also has over $2 billion remaining for funding long-term contracts to supply equipment to Kyiv, and the Pentagon is working to allocate as much of this funding as possible before January 20.
There is also just under $5 billion in funding from Congress for the procurement of new weapons to replenish U.S. stockpiles. Although the pace at which the administration can spend the money is limited by how quickly the Department of Defense can contract for weapons—and how fast the industrial base can produce them—officials stated they hope to exhaust this fund by the end of the term.
U.S. Assistance to Ukraine
Earlier, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. plans to provide Ukraine with assistance totaling $7.1 billion before the end of the current administration of President Joe Biden. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh reminded that the sitting president wants to deliver all the congressionally approved assistance to our country before the completion of his term.
The Biden administration has also requested an additional 24 billion dollars from Congress for weapons for Ukraine. Of this, $8 billion will go to long-term contracts for supplying arms to Ukraine, while the remaining $16 billion will be used to replenish U.S. stockpiles.