US Scrapes “Bottom of the Barrel” as Ukraine Aid Delivery Hits Pentagon Limits, Reports WSJ

The Biden administration is facing challenges in using over $6.5 billion allocated for military aid to Ukraine before the presidential transition on January 20, 2025. This leaves the decision on how to handle the remaining funds to President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Department of Defense has reached its capacity to supply Ukraine with weapons without compromising US military readiness. The Pentagon is now aiming to transfer between $500 million and $750 million worth of arms monthly to Ukraine. To expend the remaining funds within the limited timeframe, the US would need to dispatch over $110 million in weaponry daily, a target deemed "impossible" by congressional officials.

“We are scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of easy stuff to send off the shelf,” the senior defense official said to WSJ.

The incoming Trump administration's decisions regarding the unspent funds will significantly influence Ukraine's position in potential peace negotiations with Russia. Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted, "The remaining funds offer the next administration considerable leverage to stop or suspend shipments to Ukraine."

The US has over $2 billion left for long-term equipment contracts for Kyiv, with the Pentagon striving to obligate these funds by January 20. Additionally, nearly $5 billion remains to procure new weapons to replenish US stocks. The administration's spending pace is constrained by the Defense Department's contracting speed and industrial production capacity, but officials are optimistic about fully utilizing these funds by the term's end, reports WSJ.

Previously US President Joe Biden discreetly requested Congress to approve an additional $24 billion in aid for Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s defenses and replenish US military stockpiles before his term ends.