Pentagon may downgrade status of Ukrainian department - Defense News
Kyiv • UNN
The department dealing with issues of Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia will be transferred to the department of Europe and NATO. The change may indicate a decrease in the priority of Ukraine for the Pentagon.
The Pentagon is likely to downgrade the status of the political department that played an important role in responding to the war in Ukraine. This was reported by three former officials of the United States Department of Defense and two European officials, Defense News reports, writes UNN.
Details
According to sources, as part of a larger reshuffle in the Pentagon's political apparatus, the department dedicated to Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs will be transferred to a separate department that will deal with European and NATO issues.
This will not stop its work and will not necessarily mean the dismissal of employees. However, this transition will downgrade the status of the department, which until the beginning of this year was one of the most important in the Pentagon, the publication writes.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the once relatively little-known department has reportedly helped shape U.S. policy on the war and manage the huge amount of military aid that has come in to support Ukraine's defense capabilities.
The previous director of the department, Laura Cooper, helped convene a group of 50 countries, which has since met 27 times to raise and coordinate more than $130 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. About half of that amount came from the United States.
A Defense Department spokesman did not confirm the potential change, explain its rationale, or say whether any positions might be cut. Cooper stepped down in December, and the office is now headed by a career civil servant.
Both offices report to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, who does not currently have full approval. Daniel Zimmerman, the nominee for the position, is awaiting a Senate vote.
Several sources stressed that the decision is not final and that any changes will be part of a larger reorganization. In addition, it is not unusual for new heads of political departments to move around their offices, one former official said. However, several other sources viewed the potential change as a sign of the Pentagon's overall low priority approach to Ukraine under a second Trump administration.
After a week-long pause in March, the U.S. is still sharing intelligence with Ukraine and providing previously planned assistance. But Congress has not approved any additional funds to continue these efforts, and the Pentagon has not requested them.
The U.S. Department of Defense has just under $4 billion to supply weapons to Ukraine, but does not have the money to replace the weapons and equipment it sends, the publication writes.