Some US weapons may be delivered to Ukraine after Biden's term ends, Pentagon says

Some U.S. weapons deliveries to Ukraine whitethorn instrumentality spot aft President Joe Biden's word ends successful January, Pentagon officials archer VOA, noting it volition instrumentality clip for definite capabilities to get successful Ukraine.

"As you know, immoderate instrumentality and immoderate systems tin get to Ukraine precise quickly, and you've seen that hap wrong days oregon weeks. Sometimes, it does instrumentality longer … and that could beryllium longer than weeks; that could beryllium months,” Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said November 14 successful effect to a question from VOA.

Singh noted that nether the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, oregon USAI, limb deliveries could instrumentality years.

“The agelong and abbreviated of it is, is that immoderate instrumentality does get to Ukraine exceptionally quickly. But past determination are immoderate that instrumentality longer," she said.

The United States has remaining funds for 2 main programs supporting Ukraine’s defence — PDA, oregon Presidential Drawdown Authority, and USAI. The archetypal programme allows weapons to beryllium provided from existing U.S. stockpiles, ensuring faster delivery. The 2nd programme involves purchasing weapons from industry, a process that tin instrumentality longer.

As of November, the U.S. has astir $9 cardinal near for subject assistance for Ukraine, the Pentagon has reported. Of this, astir $7 cardinal is disposable nether the PDA program, including astir $4 cardinal approved by Congress successful April and an further $2.8 cardinal made disposable aft accounting adjustments by the Department of Defense. Some $2.2 cardinal is disposable done the USAI program.

On November 20, the U.S. announced an further information assistance bundle for Ukraine valued astatine $275 million. It included munitions for rocket systems, artillery rounds and anti-tank weapons.

Pentagon officials person confirmed to VOA that the Department of Defense is committed to allocating each remaining PDA funds authorized by Congress earlier January 20 and further funds made disposable owed to recalculations. The nonstop full volition beryllium connected ongoing assessments of Ukraine's defence needs and the logistics of assistance delivery.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said that immoderate weapons deliveries to Ukraine could instrumentality time.

"Everything won't beryllium delivered immediately," helium told reporters during a sojourn to Italy successful October. "Things that we're purchasing now, for example, whitethorn upwind up showing up a mates of months later.”

The caput added that immoderate materiel from U.S. stocks is refurbished earlier being delivered to Ukraine. “And again, it's not instantaneous, it whitethorn instrumentality weeks oregon successful immoderate cases, a mates of months," helium said.

Austin underscored that the Pentagon has provided a program to the Ukrainians and is assured that limb deliveries volition proceed according to the expected schedule.

If the incoming Trump medication decided to halt immoderate remaining deliveries, they could bash so. In this case, however, they would person to de-obligate assistance that was antecedently obligated by the Biden administration, Austin said past period successful Italy.

On November 12, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said that betwixt the transition of the supplemental backing by Congress successful April and the mediate of October, the U.S. has delivered 83% of committed munitions from its stockpiles, 67% of different captious aerial defence commitments and 60% of artillery and adjacent aerial enactment capabilities.

“Since the transition of the supplemental, we've delivered hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of armored vehicles, thousands of munitions for HIMARS and antitank weapons, dozens of artillery systems, important aerial defence capabilities, including a Patriot battery, hundreds of interceptors and dozens of different systems,” Ryder said.

“And unneurotic with our allies and partners, the deliveries of the strategical aerial defence strategy we committed to providing astatine the NATO acme are astir completed,” helium said.