Pentagon warns Congress of lack of money to replace weapons provided to Ukraine
The Pentagon has warned the US Congress that it is running out of funds to replace weapons sent to Ukraine and has already been forced to slow down the replenishment of some troops.
Source: AP news outlet, referring to a letter sent to Congress leaders
Details: Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord told the leaders of the House and Senate that US$1.6 billion of the US$25.9 billion allocated by Congress to replenish the arms supplies that were sent to Ukraine remained.
In addition, the United States has about US$5.4 billion left to supply weapons and equipment from its stockpiles. The United States would have exhausted these funds if the Pentagon had not realised at the beginning of the year that it had overestimated the equipment it had already sent. This freed up about US$6.2 billion.
McCord said that the US has completely exhausted long-term funding for Kyiv under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides money for contracts for future arms deliveries.
Quote from McCord: "We have already been forced to slow down the replenishment of our own forces to hedge against an uncertain funding future. Failure to replenish our military services on a timely basis could harm our military’s readiness."
More details: He added that without additional funding, the United States would be forced to delay or reduce supplies for air defence, munitions, drones and the destruction and breakthrough of border equipment, which are "critical and urgent now as Russia prepares to conduct a winter offensive."
Background:
- Last weekend, the US House of Representatives approved a budget to fund government agencies for 45 days without aid to Ukraine.
- After that, US President Joe Biden called upon the Republicans in Congress not to allow problems with aid for Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that the situation with the temporary stopgap budget will not affect the delivery and implementation of the previously agreed aid for Ukraine.
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