The US Department of Defense has mistakenly overestimated the cost of military aid to Ukraine by $6.2 billion instead of $3 billion, as previously thought.
Source. This was stated by Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, CNN reports.
According to her, in 2022, the United States overestimated aid to Kyiv by $2.6 billion, and this year – by $3.6 billion.
The accounting errors in the assessment of the amount of aid are due to the fact that "in most cases" when the United States transferred weapons to Kyiv, military officials calculated the cost of replacing the weapons instead of the cost of the weapons themselves. Since new weapons cost more than old ones, this process increased the cost of each new aid package, Singh explained.
In May, the Pentagon had already reported errors in determining the cost of weapons provided to Ukraine. But then they were estimated at $3 billion. However, this did not affect the physical delivery.
The additional $6.2 billion will reduce the need for Congress to approve a new aid package for Ukraine before the end of the fiscal year in September, CNN notes. The White House said last week that it does not plan to ask Congress for new funding until October.
Before the accounting error was discovered, many US administration officials and some members of Congress were concerned that funds to support Ukraine would run out by mid-summer, when Kyiv would launch a counteroffensive.
The discovered funds could be used to purchase additional supplies and weapons, noted Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers.
In total, since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Washington has provided Kyiv with military aid worth more than $36 billion.