White House may use $200 million from Pentagon reserves for emergency aid to Ukraine
Biden's team is considering this option, as the approval of a package worth more than $61bn has not moved forward
US President Joe Biden's administration may use about $200 million from the Pentagon's emergency assistance reserve to help Ukraine. The White House is considering this option, as the approval of a package worth more than $61 billion has not moved forward in Congress.
Source. Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Funding from the army funds can be used to purchase critical weapons, including artillery ammunition, due to the lack of which Ukraine has begun to lose territory amid the Russian offensive. However, no final decision has been made yet, one of the agency's sources said.
In general, the White House remains focused on convincing the US House of Representatives to pass a bill with an aid package for Ukraine and continues to believe that if Speaker Mike Johnson puts the document to a vote, it will be approved by an overwhelming majority, a National Security Council official said.
Biden is expected to repeat this call on 7 March during his traditional State of the Union address.
Earlier it was reported that the Pentagon is considering using the $4bn it has been given to supply Ukraine with military aid directly from its arsenals. This is currently the last source of support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The funds are part of the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) programme.
At the end of January, Ukraine warned its allies that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were running short of shells and were outgunned by Russia, and that the army would have to tightly dose its remaining ammunition and reduce operations along the 1,500km frontline.
According to some estimates, the rate of production and renewal of artillery ammunition in Russia is about 4 million pieces per year. In addition, it imports hundreds of thousands of shells and other weapons from North Korea and Iran.
Background. Earlier, CNN wrote that the Pentagon is looking for an opportunity to support Ukraine without guarantees of a $60bn aid package from Congress.
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