US struggles to rush weapons to Ukraine before Trump takes office
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON : A Biden administration push to send billions of dollars of military equipment to Ukraine before it leaves office is facing major logistical hurdles and is raising concern that the transfers will deplete already-stretched U.S. stockpiles, officials said.
The impediments underscore how much Donald Trump’s election has disrupted the U.S.-led campaign to aid Ukraine, which has suffered severe battlefield setbacks in its war against Russia and is now grappling with the future of the Western arms pipeline that has enabled it to keep fighting. More than $7 billion in drawdown authority allowing the Pentagon to transfer weapons and munitions to Ukraine from its stocks remains unspent, along with over $2 billion to fund long-term equipment contracts for Kyiv. Trump has vowed to end the war in Ukraine before taking office.
While the president-elect hasn’t spelled out a plan for doing so, Biden administration officials fear that the incoming administration will curtail Ukraine arms shipments as part of an effort to lead Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table. By funneling as much military aid to Kyiv as it can before January, Biden administration officials are hoping to give Ukraine a stronger negotiating position and bolster its defenses. Before the election, the administration had been aiming to deliver the remaining aid to Ukraine by April, according to a Pentagon official.
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