Pentagon Distributes Almost All $400 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine Before Deadline

On the eve of the end of the fiscal year in the United States, the Pentagon distributed almost all $400 million that Congress allocated for military aid to Ukraine. As of September 29, budget commitments were made for 99.8% of the planned amount.

This was announced by US Senator Chris Coons after receiving information from representatives of the US Ministry of Defense.

According to him, the active distribution of funds took place at the last moment – the deadline was September 30, when the financial year in the United States ended.

What will $400 million for Ukraine be used for?

At the end of July, the funds remained undistributed. Subsequently, the Pentagon began to make budget commitments: initially it was about $307 million, and the rest of about $93 million was to be distributed before the deadline.

The plan for the use of funding provides for:

$200 million for weapons, ammunition and explosives;
$99.9 million — for vehicles, equipment and spare parts;
$100 million for services, including transportation of military property.

According to Reuters, the latest contracts include offensive weapons as well as spare parts for armored vehicles.

At the same time, interceptors for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems are not provided for in these contracts.

The Senate is criticizing the delay

The Pentagon was supposed to provide Congress with a plan for using the funds by May 15, but did not meet the deadline.

After the delay, Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley urged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to quickly secure the distribution of the funding already approved by Congress.

Senator Chris Coons also criticized the fact that almost the entire amount was distributed only before the deadline. According to him, the situation indicates problems with communication between the administration and legislators regarding support for Ukraine.

Coons noted that the Pentagon has already provided additional information to Congress regarding the future use of the funds, but at the time of his statement, he had not yet had time to review it in detail.

Previously, the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, also instructed to transfer the leadership of the group that coordinates aid to Ukraine to US allies.