The Trump Administration did not include funding for military aid to Ukraine in its request for a record-breaking $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027.
This was announced by Jules Hurst, acting chief financial officer of the US Department of Defense, during hearings before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, in response to senators’ questions about support for Ukraine.
US Senator Angus King of Maine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed concern over the administration’s decision to ‘abandon’ Ukraine by eliminating military and humanitarian support from the Department of Defense budget, despite broad American support for continuing financial and military aid.
“One aspect of this budget that hasn’t received any attention is the zero funding for Ukraine. Is that correct, Mr. Hurst?” Senator King asked.
“Yes, that’s correct. There is no USAI funding in this budget,” Hurst replied.
At the same time, Hurst confirmed that the Pentagon had received $400 million in military aid funding for Ukraine, previously approved by Congress as part of the 2026 budget.
“They were allocated very recently. We received these funds, I believe, in March. It takes time for the funds to go through the department, but they will be used very soon. We will work with US European Command to ensure the most effective use of these funds,” he noted.
Senator Jack Reed, the senior minority member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also expressed his concerns, addressing them to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“You are here to promote the president’s defense budget of $1.5 trillion. This budget provides funding for essential programs, including shipbuilding and drone production. Many other critically important programs, such as aircraft repair and procurement, will depend on the passage of the bipartisan budget reconciliation bill. Furthermore, this budget cuts funding for research and development, does not provide funding for Ukraine, and does not include funds to cover losses caused by a war with Iran,” he noted.
It is worth noting that in its 2026 budget request, the Trump administration also asked to exclude funding for aid to Ukraine from the budget.
However, the US Senate Appropriations Committee approved a version of the bill that allocated $800 million to support Ukraine. Later, this version of the budget also received bipartisan support in Congress and was passed.
The bill allocated $800 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI)—$400 million in 2026 and $400 million in 2027.
The budget also allocated $225 million for the Baltic Security Initiative, a significant portion of which ultimately goes toward supporting Ukraine.
