US defense budget signed by Trump includes funding for Ukraine
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
On Thursday, December 18, US President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026, according to the White House website.
The law signed by Trump provides for record annual military spending of $901 billion.
With regard to Ukraine, the document allocates $800 million — $400 million each in 2026 and 2027 — under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds the purchase of US weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This comes as Trump’s team is holding negotiations aimed at stopping Russia’s war against Ukraine.
US reduces aid to Ukraine
Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the US has reduced its support for Ukraine.
In the military sphere, NATO and the US launched the PURL mechanism, allowing European countries to fund and purchase US weapons for Ukraine’s needs.
In early December, Trump again stated that the US no longer spends its own funds on aid to Ukraine. According to him, NATO now pays for American weapons, with Washington receiving funds from the Alliance.
As RBC-Ukraine reported, on December 11, the US Congress approved the defense budget bill, which included funds for assistance to Ukraine.
The law places a strong emphasis on European defense. The White House is prohibited from reducing troop levels in Europe below 76,000 for periods longer than 45 days, and from removing or transferring key military equipment.
The defense law also authorizes the Baltic Security Initiative, allocating $175 million to support the defense of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
