Pentagon creates website to oversee aid for Ukraine
The US Ministry of Defence has launched a website on which the American weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine can be tracked.
Source: European Pravda with reference to The Hill
Details: The new website, launched in coordination with the Office of the Inspector General for the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development, appeared as Republicans in Congress continue to obstruct further funding for Ukraine and call into question whether US military aid is being properly accounted for.
The Pentagon’s Inspector General said in a statement that the website provides resources and information about the work being done by over 20 US oversight agencies, known as the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group, to ensure that aid for Ukraine is not misused.
The website also contains contact details to report any accusations of fraud, waste or misuse of aid for Ukraine.
Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch said the website was a "convenient one-stop shop for people to learn more about our extensive efforts across the oversight community to oversee the use of taxpayer dollars for the US Ukraine response".
The website has a welcome page with a video depicting the efforts of the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group and introductory information about the war in Ukraine and US support.
There are also fact sheets detailing how much aid the US has provided to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion started in 2022 – $113.4 billion – and detailed information about oversight projects run by institutions that aim to prevent the misuse of weapons.
Republicans have long been asking questions about the billions of dollars sent to Ukraine, mainly about whether these funds are being properly monitored. Storch’s office found certain issues with tracking aid for Ukraine, but no serious problems of waste, fraud or misuse.
Diana Shaw, acting Inspector General of the US Department of State, stated that "Ukraine oversight is our number one priority", welcoming the new website as a new tool "to help keep American taxpayers informed".
"We are delighted that this important resource – a centralized website showcasing the impressive volume and breadth of our whole-of-government oversight of the US response to Russia’s unprecedented war in Ukraine – is now available to our stakeholders," Shaw said.
Background:
- US Defenсe Secretary Lloyd Austin, opening Tuesday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, vowed that the United States would continue to support Ukraine's military efforts against Russia. In practice, however, the US Congress continues to obstruct funding for Kyiv.
- Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has effectively agreed to unblock aid to Ukraine, but in a significantly different form – as a House of Representatives bill with support in the form of a loan or lend-lease.
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