“The administration of US President Joe Biden is working on a plan to extend the authority to send $5.9 billion worth of US weapons and equipment to Ukraine before funding runs out at the end of the month.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
The administration of US President Joe Biden is working on a plan to extend the authority to send $5.9 billion worth of US weapons and equipment to Ukraine before funding runs out at the end of the month.
Source: “European Truth”, Politico
Details: The authority, part of an aid package for Ukraine passed in April, allows the Pentagon to use its own stockpiles to quickly move weapons and equipment to Ukraine. The money is then spent to replace that equipment in American arsenals, but that authority expires when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
This new workaround, which requires the administration to say it will use the rest of the aid in the coming months, would allow the Pentagon to continue supplying weapons to Kyiv. However, under this method, the US will not be able to provide new types of equipment that were not previously delivered.
According to Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz, if this is done in time, “supplies can easily go beyond [фінансового року]”.
The issue came up again on Sunday, when Speaker Mike Johnson released details of his proposed three-month funding package, which did not include an extension of powers over Ukraine.
The Biden administration has asked Congress to carry over $5.9 billion in the president’s unused weapons removal authority to next year. These powers are Washington’s main tool for arming Ukraine.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers called the lack of use of that authority “not a real problem” if the administration decides to release the money next week.
“My understanding is … as long as the White House tells us it’s going to use those funds, we don’t have a problem,” Rogers said.
Similarly, House Defense Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert said in an interview, “I understand there is already a workaround” that the Biden administration plans to use. I’m not quite sure how they’re going to do it, but I’m told they’re going to do it.”
That makes it one less headache for Johnson, who would likely lose support among some conservative Republican aid skeptics if he were to include the Ukraine aid provision in the interim solution. Johnson, who spent political capital this spring when he held a vote on a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, the Middle East and Taiwan, is counting on Democrats to secure enough votes this week to pass a bipartisan midterm deal and bypass hard-right opposition.
Still, dozens of Democrats in the House of Representatives have pressed Johnson in recent weeks to include language on the aid increase in the bill.
One of those lawmakers, House Foreign Affairs Committee member Gregory Meeks, emphasized in a brief interview Tuesday the importance of providing aid to Ukraine ahead of heavy winter fighting.
“They’re going to try to get around it, the administration is going to try because [українцям] now they need the resources to implement their ‘winning plan,’ which I think is extremely important,” Meeks said.
Meeks said Zelensky, whom he met Monday at the United Nations General Assembly, is likely to raise the issue in meetings with President Joe Biden and during Zelensky’s visit to the Capitol on Thursday.
The speed of American deliveries will also be an important issue for the Ukrainian leader. The Biden administration has averaged about $400 million a month in military aid, but officials in Kiev have been frustrated by how long it is taking for some of that equipment to actually reach the battlefield.
The U.S. is expected to announce a new $375 million aid package for Ukraine this week, and as part of the package, the U.S. is considering providing Ukraine with medium-range missiles for a new fleet of F-16 fighter jets. The package also includes missiles for HIMARS launchers, patrol boats and air defense equipment, and will be the largest package the US has sent to Ukraine since May. It is also likely to be the last exercise of the president’s arms removal authority until the end of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
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