The US is considering allocating an additional $126 million in aid to Ukraine

The United States government is considering allocating an additional £126 million in aid to Ukraine. The White House announced this in a statement. The money is to be provided under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

The U.S. government does not disclose how the funds will be spent. "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to £126 million in assistance to Ukraine without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA," the statement reads.

Military aid from the United States, January 2022. Photo from open sources

Military aid from the United States

Militarnyi previously reported that the Pentagon published a list of munitions included in the new aid package for Ukraine.

The DoD marked additional security assistance as an "extraordinary measure" to address some of Ukraine's most pressing security and defense needs. This package worth up to £300 million includes items to meet Ukraine's needs for air defense, artillery, and anti-tank weapons. The package includes:

  • Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
  • Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
  • 155mm artillery rounds, including High Explosive and Dual Purpose Improved Cluster - Munitions rounds;
  • 105mm artillery rounds;
  • AT-4 anti-armor systems;
  • Additional rounds of small arms ammunition;
  • Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and
  • Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.
105mm projectile for the L119 howitzer of the military of Ukraine.

September 2022, Ukraine. Photo credits: ArmyInform

The source of the funds is "savings on contracts from previously allocated supplemental funding that can be used to replenish the DoD's inventories." The package, the report says, provides a short-term stop gap, but it is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs.

The Pentagon insists that security assistance to Ukraine remains a smart investment in US national security.

Additional sources of funding for military aid

As previously reported, the Pentagon is considering whether to use the last source of Ukraine's military funding, even without guarantees that those funds will be replenished by Congress. The Defense Department still has around £4 billion, which allows the Pentagon to draw from its own stockpiles to send military equipment to Ukraine.

M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle of the Ukrainian military. June 2023.

Ukraine.

Photo credits: @winua22

However, the Pentagon had previously been reluctant to spend any of that remaining funds without assurances it would be reimbursed by Congress because taking from DoD stockpiles with no plan to replenish that equipment could impact U.S. military readiness.

No decisions have been made yet, but the conversations about that option and other potential plan Bs have become increasingly urgent.

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