With debates in Congress over future foreign military spending, Pentagon officials said the United States will no longer be able to tap its weapons stockpile to help Ukraine fight against Russian forces.
During a briefing at the Pentagon Tuesday, Major General Pat Ryder, the Defense Department's press secretary, told reporters that the congressional hold on additional funding for Ukraine is preventing Washington "from meeting Ukraine's most urgent battlefield needs to include things like artillery rounds, anti-tank weapons, air defense interceptors."
Ryder's comments follow the monthly gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an assembly of 54 countries hosted by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that has been meeting since April 2022 to funnel assistance to Ukraine. Since the group's establishment, this is the first time the U.S. has been unable to commit to sending additional ammunition and missiles to Kyiv.
House and Senate leaders have been pressing for a bipartisan security deal that would meet President Joe Biden's request for additional funding for Ukraine while also boosting U.S. border enforcement efforts. But Republican lawmakers have held out on passing any additional foreign funding until a border deal can be reached.
Ryder said Tuesday that without the additional funding, the Pentagon cannot provide Ukraine the equipment "to meet both their medium- and longer-term requirements and help them sustain systems that we've previously provided to them."
He added that the Biden administration is working closely with Congress to "urge supplemental funding as soon as possible."
Austin, who hosted Tuesday's meeting with several dozen international partners virtually while he recovers from prostate cancer surgery, urged members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to "dig deep" and continue to support Kyiv's military in light of Russia's ongoing aggression.
"Ukraine's fight is important for all of our countries," Austin said during his opening remarks. "Ukraine's incredibly brave troops are continuing their battle against the Kremlin's invaders across a vast front line in Ukraine's east and south, in bitter winter weather.
"So I urge this group to dig deep to provide Ukraine with more lifesaving ground-based air-defense systems and interceptors," he said.
Newsweek reached out to the Defense Department and Ukraine's Ministry of Defense for comment.
In late December, the Pentagon announced its last security package for Ukraine, which totaled $250 million. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Washington has sent more than $44 billion in security assistance to boost the country's military.
Roughly $23.6 billion of the total aid to Ukraine was pulled from the U.S.'s existing military stockpiles, while about $19 billion was spent on long-term military contracts, according to the Associated Press. This means that even if Pentagon funding has run out, there may still be some previously purchased weapons that will continue to go to Ukraine for the time being.
Ryder told reporters that the U.S. is continuing to provide support to Ukraine through training and leadership coalitions. But, he added, "in order for us to provide the capabilities that Ukraine needs on the battlefield today, but also in the longer term, we would really appreciate the support of Congress."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
