Biden's administration not to manage to spend several billion dollars on aid to Ukraine - Pentagon
Deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh (photo: GettyImages)
The administration of current US President Joe Biden will not be able to implement the entire amount of aid for Ukraine approved by Congress in the spring of 2024 before the inauguration of the new head of state, Donald Trump. A few billion dollars will remain, states Deputy Press Secretary of the US Secretary of Defense Sabrina Singh.
During a conversation with media representatives, she answered a question about how concerned the Biden administration is regarding the remaining significant amount under the presidential drawdown authority (PDA) – the primary mechanism Washington has used to deliver weapons to Ukraine.
"So, on Ukraine, you know, as you mentioned, there will be a few billion dollars in authority left for the incoming administration to decide what they decide to do with that remaining authority," said the Deputy Press Secretary of the Pentagon.
Commenting on the possible risk of the new Trump administration freezing US aid to Ukraine, Singh noted that Kyiv has bipartisan support in the US Congress.
"And it is because of this administration's way forward and the commitment of the Ukrainians and their — and their courage and fighting on the battlefield that they continue to survive. But they do that with the support of the United States and other allied countries and coalitions through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group," she added.
The representative of the US Department of Defense also stated that the Trump administration will decide what to do with the PDA program authorities that remain.
"But of course, we hope that, you know, in some way the Ukraine Defense Contact Group continues on. But certainly, support for Ukraine remains strong within Congress," Singh added.
She also mentioned that as of now, the US and other allied and partner countries have collectively allocated more than $126 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
US aid to Ukraine
The US Congress approved nearly $175 billion in aid for Ukraine and its allied countries following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A significant portion of this aid came in the form of long-term funding for US defense production, as the Pentagon works to replace equipment sent to Ukraine.
In September 2024, Western media reported that the Biden administration was urgently negotiating with Congress for permission to use $6 billion in defense aid for Ukraine. At that time, it was known that the majority of the $7.8 billion allocated under the PDA, according to the bill signed by Biden in April, had not been used.
On January 8, Voice of America reported that the final aid package for Ukraine from the Biden administration, announced for the near future, would amount to $500 million. Therefore, another approximately $3.8 billion in support for Kyiv will remain unused, despite promises from the White House to spend the full amount before the end of Biden's term.
As reported by the Pentagon, these funds will be transferred to Donald Trump's control after his inauguration on January 20.
Additionally, earlier, AP reported that the aid package for Ukraine, which will be announced on January 9, will be provided from existing US stocks. This means Kyiv is expected to receive weapons before Trump's inauguration.
The PDA program allows the US president to transfer defense goods and services from US stocks in response to emergencies.
