Ukraine Situation Report: U.S. Funding Almost "Exhausted"
Howard Altman
Ukraine Situation Report: U.S. Funding Almost "Exhausted"
Though Ukraine says it is in desperate need of military equipment from the U.S. and allies, the White House says it has only enough money left for one more aid package, to be announced this week.
After that, “we will have no more replenishment authority available to us,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, including from The War Zone, Monday.
Earlier in the day, Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord notified Congress that the Defense Department intends to transfer just over $1 billion from various appropriation accounts to replace equipment and services provided to Ukraine.
“Once these funds are obligated, the Department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine,” McCord warned.
Both Kirby and McCord urged Congress to pass a $106 billion supplemental national security spending bill that includes $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine. The Biden Administration’s supplemental spending request also includes military aid for Israel, funds to boost competition with China in the Indo-Pacific, as well as security along the U.S. border with Mexico. It has been held up over wrangling with Republicans on additional security for the U.S. southern border.
“In just over the last 24 hours, dozens of drones and at least one cruise missile hit Ukrainian cities, in basically what’s become a nightly barrage, and of course it’s all happening in the context of Russian troops trying to put together a ground offensive in eastern Ukraine,” Kirby said.
That hasn’t been “enormously successful,” Kirby added, because “the Ukrainians are well armed and well resourced and are able to defend against these offensive moves. But Ukraine still needs our help. And it’s well past time for Congress to act and stand up for freedom and democracy and in defense of our own national security interests, which are very much at play here.”
Beyond just helping Ukraine, Kirby noted that a large portion of the funds are spent on U.S.-made weapons.
The nearly $45 billion in military aid provided to Ukraine by the Biden administration so far has helped “to jumpstart and to expand production lines in dozens of states across the country, where weapons and equipment of all manner and type can be produced and of course for American stocks to replenish and replace what we are sending to Ukraine,” said Kirby. It “supports good-paying American jobs in the process and also is helping strengthen the production lines and strengthen our relationship with our defense industry across the country.”
Rows of incomplete shells wait for the next step in production. The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant held a media day to show what they make. The plant makes a 155mm artillery shell. (Photo by Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Neither Kirby nor McCord said what would be in the next package or how much value it would have and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. We will update this story if more details are provided.
As Ukraine struggles to gain traction in a sputtering counteroffensive while Russia is beginning to see momentum in its drives in Donetsk and Kharkiv oblast, U.S. officials have warned that Kyiv will not survive long against Russia without help.
Should the spigot be cut off by the U.S. and NATO, one U.S. official told CNN last week that Ukraine could hold off Russia for months, with a worst-case scenario of a significant setback or even defeat by the summer.
“There is no guarantee of success with us, but they are certain to fail without us,” a senior US military official told the network.
Negotiations over the spending bill between the White House and Republicans are ongoing, but it is unlikely to be finished by the end of the year. That’s bad news for Ukraine, which doesn’t have time on its side.
Before we head into the latest from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here.
The Latest
The battlefield remains generally frozen, both in terms of weather and movement, but Russia is gaining an edge, especially in Donetsk Oblast. Here are some key takeaways from the latest Institute for the Study of War assessment:
A combination of artillery ammunition shortages and delays in the provision of Western security assistance is likely causing Ukrainian forces to husband materiel and may delay future Ukrainian counteroffensive operations.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi declined to comment on recent Western reporting about Ukrainian counteroffensive and Russian offensive plans for 2024.
Howard Altman
Ukraine Situation Report: U.S. Funding Almost "Exhausted"
Though Ukraine says it is in desperate need of military equipment from the U.S. and allies, the White House says it has only enough money left for one more aid package, to be announced this week.
After that, “we will have no more replenishment authority available to us,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, including from The War Zone, Monday.
Earlier in the day, Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord notified Congress that the Defense Department intends to transfer just over $1 billion from various appropriation accounts to replace equipment and services provided to Ukraine.
“Once these funds are obligated, the Department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine,” McCord warned.
Both Kirby and McCord urged Congress to pass a $106 billion supplemental national security spending bill that includes $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine. The Biden Administration’s supplemental spending request also includes military aid for Israel, funds to boost competition with China in the Indo-Pacific, as well as security along the U.S. border with Mexico. It has been held up over wrangling with Republicans on additional security for the U.S. southern border.
“In just over the last 24 hours, dozens of drones and at least one cruise missile hit Ukrainian cities, in basically what’s become a nightly barrage, and of course it’s all happening in the context of Russian troops trying to put together a ground offensive in eastern Ukraine,” Kirby said.
That hasn’t been “enormously successful,” Kirby added, because “the Ukrainians are well armed and well resourced and are able to defend against these offensive moves. But Ukraine still needs our help. And it’s well past time for Congress to act and stand up for freedom and democracy and in defense of our own national security interests, which are very much at play here.”
Beyond just helping Ukraine, Kirby noted that a large portion of the funds are spent on U.S.-made weapons.
The nearly $45 billion in military aid provided to Ukraine by the Biden administration so far has helped “to jumpstart and to expand production lines in dozens of states across the country, where weapons and equipment of all manner and type can be produced and of course for American stocks to replenish and replace what we are sending to Ukraine,” said Kirby. It “supports good-paying American jobs in the process and also is helping strengthen the production lines and strengthen our relationship with our defense industry across the country.”
Rows of incomplete shells wait for the next step in production. The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant held a media day to show what they make. The plant makes a 155mm artillery shell. (Photo by Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Neither Kirby nor McCord said what would be in the next package or how much value it would have and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. We will update this story if more details are provided.
As Ukraine struggles to gain traction in a sputtering counteroffensive while Russia is beginning to see momentum in its drives in Donetsk and Kharkiv oblast, U.S. officials have warned that Kyiv will not survive long against Russia without help.
Should the spigot be cut off by the U.S. and NATO, one U.S. official told CNN last week that Ukraine could hold off Russia for months, with a worst-case scenario of a significant setback or even defeat by the summer.
“There is no guarantee of success with us, but they are certain to fail without us,” a senior US military official told the network.
Negotiations over the spending bill between the White House and Republicans are ongoing, but it is unlikely to be finished by the end of the year. That’s bad news for Ukraine, which doesn’t have time on its side.
Before we head into the latest from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here.
The Latest
The battlefield remains generally frozen, both in terms of weather and movement, but Russia is gaining an edge, especially in Donetsk Oblast. Here are some key takeaways from the latest Institute for the Study of War assessment:
A combination of artillery ammunition shortages and delays in the provision of Western security assistance is likely causing Ukrainian forces to husband materiel and may delay future Ukrainian counteroffensive operations.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi declined to comment on recent Western reporting about Ukrainian counteroffensive and Russian offensive plans for 2024.
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Summary
Ukraine faces potential aid reduction as U.S. funding is almost depleted. One more aid package, worth $1 billion, will be announced this week before all funds are exhausted. The Biden Administration has requested a $106 billion supplemental spending bill to provide additional military aid to