The Pentagon has unblocked a $400 million military aid package for Ukraine, previously approved by the US Congress.
Bloomberg reported on this.
The Department confirmed the allocation of these funds. This came after the Department of War faced criticism from Senator Mitch McConnell, who chairs the Senate Committee on Defense Spending.
During a speech before the House Committee, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stated that the funding had already been transferred.
“These funds were allocated to strengthen the capabilities of European countries, and they were transferred yesterday,” he noted, without providing further details.
The day before, in an article for The Washington Post, Senator McConnell stated that the US aid approved several months ago had been “gathering dust” at the Pentagon.
According to him, the committee’s attempts to get an explanation from Elbridge Colby, US Deputy Secretary of War for Policy, ended in a “brush-off.” The Senator pointed out that last year it was Colby who was behind the decision to suspend arms supplies to Ukraine.
Jules Hurst, Acting Pentagon Comptroller, who also testified before the House Committee, reported that contracts for these funds have not yet been signed.
He noted that exactly how these $400 million will be spent will depend on what weapons or equipment Ukraine wishes to purchase.
US assistance to Ukraine
In January, Congress approved an additional $400 million in long-term military aid to Ukraine, funding a separate program that the Pentagon had planned to cut.
The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) involves contracting with American companies to produce weapons that are supplied directly to the Defense Forces. The fulfillment of individual orders can sometimes take several years.
Last December, the US Congress prohibited the Pentagon from arbitrarily redirecting weapons intended for Ukraine to other purposes.
