WASHINGTON (AP) – Nearly $6 billion in U.S. financial aid to Ukraine will expire at the end of the month unless Congress expands the Pentagon’s authority to send weapons from its stockpiles to Kiev, U.S. officials say.
U.S. officials said the Biden administration has asked Congress to include funding authority in any continuing resolution lawmakers can pass before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 to fund the federal government and avert a shutdown. Officials said they hope to extend the authorization for another year.
They also said the Defense Department would explore other options if that effort fails.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss funding negotiations, did not elaborate on the options. But they said the roughly $5.8 billion Presidential Drawing Authority (PDA) will expire. Another $100 million PDA will not expire at the end of the month, officials said. The PDA allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and quickly ship them to Ukraine.
They said just over $4 billion in long-term funding is available through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which does not expire at the end of the month. That money, which expires on September 30, 2025, will pay for arms contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more.
Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the Defense Department’s comptroller is offering options to senior defense and military service leaders, and they are looking at ways to take advantage of PDA and USAI funding.
He said it could be important for Ukraine as it prepares for the winter battle.
“One of the areas where we could work with them … is air defense capabilities and the ability to defend their critical infrastructure,” Brown told reporters traveling with him to meetings in Europe. “It’s very important for Ukraine how they defend their national infrastructure, but also set up their defenses for the winter so they can slow down any kind of Russian advance during the winter months.”
Earlier Thursday at the Pentagon, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the press secretary, stated that the PDA allows the Pentagon to use money from its budget to send military aid to Ukraine. Funding from Ukraine’s $61 billion supplemental bill passed in April can replace the weapons it sent the department.
“Right now, we’re continuing to work with Congress to get those authorities extended so we can continue to do withdrawal packages,” said Ryder. “In the meantime, you’ll still see withdrawal packages. But we’ll have a lot more to give on that in the near future.”
The US has routinely announced new withdrawal packages – often two to three per month.
The failure of lawmakers to act on PDA funding could cause another serious setback in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, just five months after a bitterly divided Congress finally broke a long and disastrous impasse and approved new funding for Ukraine.
Delays in the $61 billion awarded to Ukraine earlier this year created tough fighting conditions as Ukrainian forces ran out of ammunition and Russian forces were able to make gains. Officials have blamed Russia’s ability to seize more territory after months of deadlocked Congress.
Since the resumption of funding, US weapons have flowed into Ukraine, bolstering forces and aiding Kiev’s push into Russia’s Kursk region. Ukrainian forces stormed across the border five weeks ago, occupying Russian territory for the first time since World War II.
