Pentagon Has a Workaround to Send Ukraine Arms Despite Aid Stalemate
- Stockpiles could continue to be drawn down, replenished later
- ‘We can make it work until next month,’ Senator Wicker says
Ukrainian servicemen fire with an anti-aircraft gun at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Ukraine.
Photographer: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The White House warns it will run out of money by the end of the year to keep sending Ukraine military aid unless Congress breaks a funding deadlock. But analysts and lawmakers say there’s a workaround that means the deadline isn’t quite so tight.
The tactic: Continue to provide arms from US stockpiles in hopes of waiting until later for the money to replace them. According to Pentagon estimates, the US can still send Ukraine military hardware valued at $4.6 billion under what’s called Presidential Drawdown Authority. Yet it only has $1 billion to buy new equipment to replace the old.