The Pentagon has a massive infusion of military aid for Ukraine “ready to go,” U.S. officials said, once a long-delayed funding measure, which is expected to pass the House this weekend, clears the Senate next week and President Biden signs it into law.
The Defense Department, which has warned that Ukraine would steadily cede more ground to Russian forces and face staggering casualties without urgent action on Capitol Hill, began assembling the assistance package well before the coming votes in a bid to speed the process, these people said.
One official, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Biden administration’s planning, said that once the $95 billion foreign aid bill is finalized, it would take less than a week for some of the weapons to reach the battlefield, depending on where they are stored. The legislation includes about $60 billion for Ukraine, with most of the remainder slated for Israel and U.S. partners in Asia.
What the others said.
Also because they need equipment not cash. If the US would give them money, Ukraine would still have to get equipment somewhere.
Now the US is clearing out old inventory that is at the end of its shelf life (explosives have a shelf life) and the Ukranians use them to blow up Russian military instead of the US paying a company to dismantle the munitions.
The US charges the Ukranians current book value (low) and reimburses the military from the aid budget. The US military then uses this extra cash to buy new toys.