The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has informed members of Congress that it will not complete the spending of $400 million that Congress authorized for aid to Ukraine until fiscal year 2029, Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
In May, the U.S. Department of Defense sent lawmakers a letter outlining its spending plan, a source familiar with the document said Monday. Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans have criticized the Pentagon for not providing aid to Ukraine that members of both parties supported last year.
Two months after the letter was sent, the funds have still not been allocated or even tied up in contracts, the source said.
Congress has repeatedly complained about the slow pace of spending. The letter has not been previously published.
Zelensky is expected to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, where he will continue to push for urgently needed air defense capabilities and the completion of a drone deal with the United States, a source familiar with the plans said.
After that meeting, he is expected to arrive at the U.S. Capitol for a meeting with all 100 senators. The House of Representatives is out of Washington on summer recess.
Two sources said members of Congress are unhappy with the Pentagon's timeline, which they consider extremely slow for an ongoing conflict.
The letter states that the funds will be allocated during fiscal year 2026, which ends September 30, with the final provision of all aid expected in the year ending September 30, 2029.
Trump's second term ends on January 20, 2029.
The U.S. president has recently taken a positive stance toward Ukraine, approving a proposal to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles and signaling that he will sign a sanctions bill against Russia proposed by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally in the Senate, the publication writes.
Zelensky will attend Graham's funeral on Tuesday.
Graham's sudden death this month has raised questions about whether Trump's recent support for Ukraine will continue without Graham's backing, especially without the sanctions bill against Russia and military aid to Ukraine.
Members of Congress have pressured the administration over the slow pace of spending on Ukraine.
In April, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell published an op-ed criticizing the delay in military aid. And this issue has been frequently raised at congressional hearings.
At hearings last week with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, asked about the spending plan.
Durbin questioned what impact the aid could have on Ukraine's fight against Russian invaders if it takes so long.
"If you're talking about air defense and momentum along with Zelensky, what impact will it have if we can't fund it for three years?" Durbin asked.
Several times last year, the Pentagon delayed weapons shipments to Ukraine over concerns that U.S. weapons stockpiles were too low. Trump's fellow Republicans, who control Congress, have not pressured him on this issue.
The spending plan outlined in the letter includes $400 million for capacity building, funding equipment, training, and services for Ukrainian forces so they can defend themselves against Russian invasion.
Plan items include $200 million for weapons, ammunition, and explosives, $99.9 million for vehicles, spare parts, and equipment, and $100 million for services such as transporting defense goods to Ukraine, the publication writes.
Under U.S. law, the president is legally obligated to spend funds allocated by Congress and cannot unilaterally block them to achieve individual political goals.
Ukraine has been the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, but U.S. commitments to Ukraine have been called into question since Trump took office, and his Republicans took control of both chambers of Congress in January 2025.
Since then, Congress has not passed any major aid bills, and Democrats in particular have accused Trump and Republicans of slow-walking aid that was approved before he took office.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, by the end of September 2024, the United States had allocated $175 billion related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, of which $106 billion went directly to aid for Ukraine, while $69 billion remained in the U.S. economy to support American industry.
US Senate approves $750 million increase in military aid to Ukraine12.06.26, 01:05