Pentagon considers US$4 billion plan B for Ukraine support

The US Department of Defense is weighing whether to tap into "the last remaining source of funding it has" for military aid for Ukraine as conversations about potential alternatives for Ukraine aid have grown more urgent over the recent weeks, CNN reported, citing anonymous defence sources.

Source: CNN

Quote from CNN: "[W]ith Ukraine growing increasingly desperate for US military aid and Republican leadership in the House refusing to hold a vote on providing more funding, senior defense officials are discussing whether there is any financial cushion internally that would allow the department to spend at least part of that remaining $4 billion to help Ukraine fight Russia."

Details: CNN reported that the Pentagon was reluctant to spend the remaining funds without guarantees that Congress would replenish them.

Asked about the possibility of tapping into the remaining US$4 billion, Defense Department spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Garron Garn said in a statement, "The DoD continues to urge Congress to pass a supplemental to support Ukraine in its time of need and to replenish our stocks."

Meanwhile, officials told CNN the department could go ahead and spend part of that US$4 billion even without finding money internally that could be used to replenish it.

Another US defence official told CNN that if it comes, the next aid package to Ukraine "will absolutely include critical munitions". There are also discussions about how and where to send military equipment so that it can then be delivered to Ukraine as quickly as possible once additional funding sources are identified, the official said.

The Pentagon has yet to take any decisions on the issue, sources told CNN.

Background:

• Hardline Republicans in the US Congress did not support US President Joe Biden’s request for more than US$60 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine.
• During a press conference on 25 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has informed the US that its multi-billion-dollar aid package needs to be approved within a month; the US Congress is aware of this, and there is hope that it will be approved.
• Internal US estimates suggest that Ukraine will experience a "catastrophic" shortage of ammunition and air defence equipment by spring.

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