$400 million Ukraine aid 'approved yesterday,' Hegseth says
Pete Hegseth (photo: Getty Images)
The Pentagon has officially unlocked a $400 million military aid package for Ukraine. The funds were released after prolonged pressure from US lawmakers, according to the Kyiv Post.
The announcement of the funds allocation was made by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during hearings before the House Armed Services Committee. According to him, the bureaucratic obstacles have finally been overcome.
"The funds were released as of yesterday," Hegseth said during the hearing.
Previously, these funds had been approved by Congress. However, they remained frozen. Officials were unable to explain the reasons for the delay for a long time. This triggered a wave of criticism from politicians.
What preceded the funding scandal
Before Hegseth's statement confirming the release of the funds, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said that the US Department of Defense was delaying the delivery of military aid to Ukraine.
The senator noted that members of the Senate Appropriations Committee had sent a request to the Pentagon's analytical division but received no response.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized US Vice President JD Vance's stance on reducing aid to Ukraine, saying such approaches could benefit Russia.
""I don't agree with the Vice President," Zelenskyy emphasized. "We are open, and we are not enemies. Russia is the enemy."
