US senators from both parties urge Pentagon to speed up aid to Ukraine
A bipartisan group of US senators has criticised delays by the Department of Defense in providing US$600 million in security assistance to Ukraine and other allies in Eastern Europe, sending a letter on 22 May to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding that the funds be released.
Source: Associated Press
Details: Disputes between Congress and President Donald Trump's administration have intensified in recent weeks, as lawmakers from both parties seek answers about what happened to US$400 million in aid for Ukraine and another US$200 million allocated for defence programmes in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Congress approved the funding last year.
Even Republican lawmakers have expressed frustration over what they see as the Trump administration distancing itself from Ukraine and other European allies.
"Ukraine has persistently and bravely repelled a four-year Russian onslaught, but its military needs and deserves continued American support," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Chuck Grassley wrote in the joint letter.
The letter was also signed by Republican Senators Kevin Cramer and Thom Tillis, as well as Democratic Senators Michael Bennet and Catherine Cortez Masto.
Hegseth told lawmakers during congressional hearings more than three weeks ago that funding for Ukraine had been "released" and that a spending plan would soon be submitted to Congress. However, senators say the Pentagon missed its promised 15 May deadline for delivering the plan.
"Any further delays – particularly as the Department reportedly plans troubling US troops withdrawals from the region – risks our ability to adequately deter Russia," the senators said.
A Democrat-backed proposal is also gaining support in the House of Representatives that would expand sanctions against Russia and provide US$1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. Although the package is unlikely to pass, it has contributed to renewed momentum among lawmakers in support of Ukraine's war effort.
AP noted that the US$400 million in security assistance for Ukraine is relatively small compared with the multi-billion-dollar aid packages Congress approved in the months and years immediately following Russia's full-scale invasion. However, for lawmakers, the provision has also become a symbol of their continued support.
Background:
- European allies are becoming increasingly concerned about the viability of the US weapons supply programme for Ukraine, known as the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), as the war in Iran rapidly depletes American stockpiles. Some donor countries have also begun questioning the transparency surrounding the Pentagon's spending of the allocated funds.
- Trump said at the beginning of May that the war in Ukraine is continuing because his predecessor Joe Biden provided Kyiv with US$350 billion in financial assistance.
- In an address to the US Congress, King Charles III stressed the need for determined support for Ukraine amid growing global instability.
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