Pentagon: Trump Will Take Over Biden’s Unused Ukraine Aid Funds
The US president-elect is expected to have “a few billion dollars” available, which he may consider allocating to Kiev, according to the US Defense Department. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The US president-elect has previously warned that Kiev may see less financial support once he takes office.
US President Joe Biden will not fully utilize his allocated military aid budget for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, resulting in “a few billion dollars” for the incoming administration to determine how to allocate to Kiev, according to the Pentagon.
Since the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022, Ukraine has received a cumulative $122 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian assistance from the US, as reported by the Pentagon. The military portion of this amount has been sourced from two main avenues: various spending bills approved by Congress and the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows Biden to send weapons and ammunition from US stockpiles directly to Ukraine.
The Biden administration has exercised this authority 72 times for arms transfers to Ukraine, with the most recent announcement on Thursday from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding a $500 million package that includes anti-air missiles, artillery shells, and air-to-ground missiles.
Although this package will represent the last military aid sent to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, the fund itself remains partially intact, as Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh informed reporters on Wednesday.
“There will be a few billion dollars in authority left for the incoming administration to decide what they decide to do with that remaining authority,” Singh stated.
While the exact amount anticipated for Trump's administration was not disclosed, a journalist at the briefing estimated it at $4.8 billion, a figure Singh did not contest.
Singh explained that the Pentagon was unable to spend the entire available amount under the Presidential Drawdown Authority due to challenges in resupplying its own stockpiles quickly enough to replace the weapons sent to Ukraine.
Trump has vowed to swiftly conclude the Ukraine conflict when he takes office. Although he has not outlined specific strategies for achieving this, he has indicated plans to meet with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to push for negotiations.
Some reports suggest that the president-elect’s team may advocate for a freeze on the conflict along existing battle lines. However, Moscow has consistently expressed its desire to resolve the conflict entirely rather than simply pausing it, fearing that Kiev might take this opportunity to rearm for future engagements.
Trump is anticipated to use ongoing US aid as leverage to compel Zelensky into negotiations. When asked last month by NBC News if Ukraine should “prepare for less aid from the United States” after his inauguration, Trump responded, “Possibly. Yeah, probably, sure.”
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
US President Joe Biden will not fully utilize his allocated military aid budget for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, resulting in “a few billion dollars” for the incoming administration to determine how to allocate to Kiev, according to the Pentagon.
Since the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022, Ukraine has received a cumulative $122 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian assistance from the US, as reported by the Pentagon. The military portion of this amount has been sourced from two main avenues: various spending bills approved by Congress and the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows Biden to send weapons and ammunition from US stockpiles directly to Ukraine.
The Biden administration has exercised this authority 72 times for arms transfers to Ukraine, with the most recent announcement on Thursday from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding a $500 million package that includes anti-air missiles, artillery shells, and air-to-ground missiles.
Although this package will represent the last military aid sent to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, the fund itself remains partially intact, as Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh informed reporters on Wednesday.
“There will be a few billion dollars in authority left for the incoming administration to decide what they decide to do with that remaining authority,” Singh stated.
While the exact amount anticipated for Trump's administration was not disclosed, a journalist at the briefing estimated it at $4.8 billion, a figure Singh did not contest.
Singh explained that the Pentagon was unable to spend the entire available amount under the Presidential Drawdown Authority due to challenges in resupplying its own stockpiles quickly enough to replace the weapons sent to Ukraine.
Trump has vowed to swiftly conclude the Ukraine conflict when he takes office. Although he has not outlined specific strategies for achieving this, he has indicated plans to meet with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to push for negotiations.
Some reports suggest that the president-elect’s team may advocate for a freeze on the conflict along existing battle lines. However, Moscow has consistently expressed its desire to resolve the conflict entirely rather than simply pausing it, fearing that Kiev might take this opportunity to rearm for future engagements.
Trump is anticipated to use ongoing US aid as leverage to compel Zelensky into negotiations. When asked last month by NBC News if Ukraine should “prepare for less aid from the United States” after his inauguration, Trump responded, “Possibly. Yeah, probably, sure.”
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
