US plans to stretch delivery of US$400 million in aid to Ukraine until 2029 – Reuters

US President Donald Trump's administration has told members of Congress that it does not plan to complete the allocation of US$400 million in military aid for Ukraine before the 2029 fiscal year.

Source: Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter

Details: In May, the US Department of Defense sent lawmakers a letter outlining its spending plan, a source familiar with the document told Reuters on Monday 27 July. Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans have criticised the Pentagon for delaying military assistance to Kyiv that received bipartisan approval last year.

According to the Reuters source, two months after the letter was sent, the funds have still neither been allocated nor committed through contracts.

Congress has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of spending. The existence of the letter had not previously been reported.

Zelenskyy is expected to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday 28 July, where he will continue to press for the urgent provision of air defence systems and for a US-Ukraine agreement on drones, according to a source familiar with the plans.

Following that meeting, he is expected to travel to the US Capitol to meet all 100 senators. The House of Representatives is in recess for the summer.

Two Reuters sources said members of Congress are unhappy with the Pentagon's timetable, which they consider far too slow given the ongoing war.

According to the delivery schedule outlined in the letter, the funds will be allocated during the 2026 fiscal year, which ends on 30 September, while the final delivery of the entire aid package is scheduled for the fiscal year ending on 30 September 2029.

The report notes that Trump's second presidential term ends on 20 January 2029.

The US president has recently adopted a more supportive stance towards Ukraine, approving a proposal to grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles and signalling that he would sign a bill imposing sanctions on Russia that had been proposed by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump's closest allies in the Senate.

Graham's sudden death earlier this month has raised questions about whether Trump's recent shift in favour of Kyiv will continue without Graham's support, particularly regarding sanctions legislation against Russia and military assistance for Ukraine.

Members of Congress have raised concerns with the administration over the slow pace of funding for Ukraine.

During hearings last week attended by General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, questioned the spending plan.

Durbin questioned what impact the aid could have on Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion if its delivery continued to be delayed for so long.

The Pentagon suspended weapons deliveries to Ukraine several times last year over concerns that US weapons stockpiles had become too low. Republicans, who control Congress and are members of Trump's own party, have not publicly pressured him over the issue.

The spending plan outlined in the letter allocates US$400 million for capability building, equipment, training and services for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to help them defend against Russia's invasion.

Under US law, the president is required to spend funds appropriated by Congress and cannot unilaterally withhold them to pursue other political objectives. Trump's first impeachment proceedings in 2019 were initiated after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that his administration had violated the law by withholding defence funding intended for Ukraine.

Ukraine has been by far the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. However, Washington's commitment to Kyiv has come under increasing scrutiny since Trump returned to office and Republicans took control of both chambers of Congress in January 2025.

Since then, Congress has passed no major new aid legislation and Democrats have accused Trump and congressional Republicans of delaying assistance that had been approved before he took office.

Background: Hegseth said that US$400 million in aid to Ukraine, approved by Congress back in December 2025, had been released on 28 April.

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