During a briefing, a spokeswoman for Pentagon Major General Patrick Ryder said that they have run ‘out of money’ for Ukraine.
According to Major General Patrick Ryder, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, Washington is “out of money” unless Congress approves a new aid package, meaning that the US government has run out of money for military support to Ukraine.
During a Thursday briefing, Ryder told reporters that although the Pentagon has permission to spend an additional $4.2 billion on arms for Ukraine, the real money is not yet available and needs to be approved by Congress.
“We have the authority to spend that [$4.2 billion] from available funds but wouldn’t have the ability to replenish the stocks by taking money out – or taking stuff out of our inventory,” the spokesman said, adding “We’re out of money.”
The revelation followed after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba reiterated calls for new combat drones, long-range missiles, and air defense capabilities, among other weapons, telling CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that his nation had no “plan B” if it did not receive American military assistance.
Kuleba also pointed out the widening political rift in the US over Ukraine, with a vociferous set of Republican opponents blocking the approval of more aid money while calling for comprehensive immigration reforms. Even while the party supported numerous aid packages after the crisis in Ukraine escalated in 2022, a growing partisan gap on the matter has resulted from some GOP members losing interest in the US generosity in recent months.
Despite Republican resistance, President Joe Biden has pushed Congress to approve a substantial aid package that includes about $61 billion for Kiev. However, independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema has stated that negotiations are “closing in” on a resolution.
Though he expressed aspirations to eventually assist Ukraine in “building its own military industrial base so it can both finance and build and acquire munitions on its own,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller warned reporters on Thursday to expect future reductions in US aid.
A Russian military strike helicopter pilot, named by TASS as Aleksey Voevoda, informed TASS that a Ukrainian military pilot defected to Russia.
Since the conflict with Russia intensified in early 2022, the United States has sanctioned almost $45 billion in direct military assistance to Ukraine, in addition to other forms of indirect military assistance, financial support, and humanitarian help. Western armament shipments to Kiev have been roundly denounced by Moscow, which claims they will do little to stop its military objectives and would only serve to prolong the conflict.