In 2024, there is a significant slowdown in the supply of American weapons to Ukraine. The administration of President Joe Biden is urgently negotiating with Congress in order to have time to use the remaining $6 billion in military aid by September 30 of this year.
As Reuters reports, sources familiar with the situation confirm that these efforts are taking place at a critical moment for Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian troops are continuing their offensive in Russia's Kursk region and at the same time are holding off attacks by Russian troops on Pokrovsk.
The publication notes that most of the $7.8 billion allocated in April has not yet been used. Now, "officials are frantically looking for a way to keep the remaining $6 billion from burning through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30."
In order to avoid a government shutdown that could occur due to budget failure, the State Department is proposing to adopt a short-term emergency spending bill. This bill must be approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives this month. If the negotiations are successful, Biden will be able to transfer the use of these funds to the next fiscal year.
However, the Biden administration is also preparing a backup plan in case the negotiations fail. If the bill does not pass, the State Department plans to announce the delivery of all $6 billion by the end of the month to spend the balance by September 30.
The slowdown in the supply of arms to Ukraine this year is partly due to the US Department of Defense's concern about the depletion of its own stockpiles and problems in the supply chain of the defense industry, congressional sources said.
