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US to Reduce Ukraine Aid Budget, Defense Secretary Hegseth Announces

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Roman Kohanets
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US to Reduce Ukraine Aid Budget, Defense Secretary Hegseth Announces
German soldiers unload the US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile. (Source: Getty Images)

The upcoming fiscal year’s defense budget will include a reduction in funding for Ukraine’s security assistance initiative, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated at a June 10 hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

“[US] administration takes a very different view of that conflict,” he said. “We believe a negotiated, peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe.”

While Hegseth did not detail which programs would bear the cuts, congressional members warned that reduced funding could curb shipments of air‐defense systems, munitions and logistical support that Ukrainian forces rely on to blunt Russian offensives.

Asked to quantify the savings, Hegseth declined to specify a dollar figure, instead defending the strategy as part of a broader effort to balance global security priorities amid strained budgets.

Critics caution that cutting the Ukraine aid line could translate into fewer deliveries of Patriot missile batteries and other advanced air-defense systems—capabilities Kyiv has relied upon to intercept waves of Russian missiles and drones. At a recent Ramstein Group meeting, President Zelenskyy urged allies to speed up shipments of US-made Patriots, warning that Russia was launching hundreds of drones and missiles daily.

This announcement arrives after the United States has provided unprecedented backing to Ukraine, committing more than $69.2 billion in security assistance since 2014—of which $65.9 billion has flowed to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022—largely through annual appropriations rather than a standing lend-lease framework . 

Earlier, the European Union announced the release of an initial €1.4 billion tranche from frozen Russian assets to bolster Ukraine’s defense and economic resilience, with Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic set to lead procurement under this package.

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