Pentagon confirms military aid to Ukraine remains intact
Pentagon officials have reassured that the reduction in aid to Ukraine, resulting from Donald Trump's decree, pertains only to grant aid and not military support. The ambiguity surrounding the U.S. President's decision has caused concern among Ukrainians. A statement affirming that military aid is still ongoing was even published by Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation.
Major Ukrainian media outlets, such as UA.news, Kyiv Independent, and RBC Ukraine, have reported that Donald Trump has not halted all aid to Ukraine. They also highlight the denial published by the Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation under the National Security Council. The controversy began when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday, citing Donald Trump's decree, that foreign aid programmes would be frozen for at least 90 days. This period is used to assess the effectiveness and compliance of the programmes with U.S. foreign policy.
The U.S. Department of Defense clarified in response to a question from Ukraine's Voice of America service that security aid for Ukraine remains unaffected by the recent decree, as it applies solely to development programs and not to military assistance.
This means that contracts for producing weapons for Ukraine under the USAI programme, established by the Biden administration, remain in effect. Ukraine receives assistance from the United States under three programmes: Presidential Drawdown (PDA), Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), and Foreign Military Financing (FMF). The continuation of aid under USAID is subject to suspension (for 90 days). This form of assistance amounted to £6.9 billion, allocated for, among other things, rebuilding the energy grid destroyed by Russian attacks, supporting firefighters, and providing direct budget support for Ukraine.
- I don't believe there is an option in the American plan to stop the war in Ukraine to halt weapons and ammunition deliveries. It would be illogical, tantamount to inviting the Kremlin to continue the war - comments General Waldemar Skrzypczak, a former commander of Polish ground forces and commentator on events in the war in Ukraine.
He adds that weapon supplies and the announcement of tightening sanctions on Russian raw material sales are elements of a message and warning intended to prompt Vladimir Putin to negotiate.
- Halting budget grants means the Ukrainian economy operates in a complicated situation. More problems will be with their military production, industry, and payments. Americans might want to seek some savings to finance Ukraine's reconstruction processes. How to rebuild when the hostilities have not been halted - adds General Skrzypczak. He believes the U.S. administration's plan to end the war remains unclear.
How much could Ukrainians lose? This amount was not spent by Joe Biden
During the election campaign, Donald Trump frequently criticised the level of support provided to Ukraine and suggested that Kyiv should prepare for a reduction in aid once he takes office. How much could Ukrainians lose?
Let's recall that the Ukraine aid bill, worth £49 billion, was passed by the U.S. Congress in April 2024. The Joe Biden administration planned to "spend every cent" of this fund. In November, Pentagon officials unofficially informed the media that the limit of transhipment capabilities in supplies to Ukraine had been reached.
The spending of £8 billion under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) remained in Joe Biden's direct competencies. This programme involves Ukraine receiving military equipment from the stocks or surpluses of the American army.
Data on the implementation of the PDA programme indicate that at the beginning of January, the outgoing president still had nearly £3.4 billion. On 9 January, he signed an aid package (anti-aircraft systems, air-to-ground ammunition, and support equipment for Ukrainian F-16s) worth £410 million. That was the last gift for Ukraine. £3.1 billion remained. Ukrainian experts believe the Trump administration will want to withhold these funds.
- I hope that what we've done will ensure that (Trump - editor's note) cannot abandon Ukraine - Joe Biden told a Polish correspondent of Polish Radio in a farewell chat under the White House.
Weapons for Ukraine. They will pay with Russian money
Another programme, Foreign Military Financing (FMF), enables Ukraine to purchase weapons and ammunition from American arms companies. Where is the money coming from? A key Trump official spoke essential words. Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, revealed in a Friday interview with American television Fox News that the U.S. administration is considering using frozen Russian funds (£246 billion) to finance the purchase of American weaponry for Ukraine.
He emphasised that such a support mechanism could constitute a key element of a broad plan to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia and strengthen the domestic arms industry. - We have repeatedly raised the issue of using Russian assets to finance the purchase of weapons from the USA. He added that it is one of the elements that could be on the table for discussion with the President.
