Biden administration won't be able to send Ukraine all planned aid – WSJ
The Joe Biden administration won't have enough time to provide Ukraine with military aid for all of the money authorised by Congress before his tenure ends in January 2025, and some of the authority in this particular regard will be transferred to Donald Trump's team.
Source: The Wall Street Journal referencing sources in the White House and US Congress, as reported by European Pravda
Details: With the hope of using the entire amount before his term ends on 20 January, the Biden administration currently has over US$6.5 billion to move armaments from US Army stocks and warehouses to Ukraine.
However, according to the WSJ, the Pentagon claims that the amount of weaponry that can be given to Ukraine each month without sacrificing their own fighting capability has been reached, and that there are logistical issues with getting munitions to Ukrainian forces.
Estimates indicate that the United States would need to supply Ukraine weaponry valued at about US$110 million each day, or nearly US$3 billion in December and January, in order to have time to spend all the funds. According to the WSJ's source in the Congress, "it’s impossible."
According to a Pentagon source, the US now intends to send US$500–750 million per month to Ukraine from its arsenal of weapons. Since larger equipment can take months to deliver, these supplies will primarily consist of artillery and ammunition, which are quicker to transfer.
Thus, any unused cash will be available to Donald Trump's future administration. What he will do with the weapons shipment to Ukraine is still unknown.
The Biden administration has more than US$2 billion to finance long-term weaponry contracts for Kyiv, in addition to financing supplies from the US Army stockpiles. They want to contract "as much of that money as possible" by 20 January, according to the WSJ source in the Pentagon.
Additionally, Congress has allotted just about US$5 billion to the White House for the acquisition of additional weapons to restock American stockpiles. The WSJ claims that the Biden administration intends for this money to be spent in full by the conclusion of his presidential term.
Background:
- Earlier, Politico reported that US President Joe Biden had asked Congress for an additional US$24 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and for the replenishment of US weapons sent to Kyiv.
- According to The Wall Street Journal, however, the future makeup of Congress, where Republicans are in the majority, is lukewarm to this idea.
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