According to them, the Pentagon inflated the cost of ammunition, missiles and other equipment by about $ 3 billion. This mistake could lead to additional deliveries of weapons to the Ukrainian defense forces, the sources say.
Officials say they “found a number of inconsistencies” so they will correct the accounting records and inform Congress about it. Reuters interlocutors suggest that the discovered overestimation of the numbers will save US President Joe Biden from having to ask Congress for additional funds for Ukraine in the context of the budget crisis.
According to the source, the White House does not know how the needs of Ukraine may change during or after expected counteroffensive in the war against the Russian Federation, but the administration of President Joe Biden is “fully committed” to supporting Kyiv during and after the struggle “for a long time.”
The United States provides assistance to Ukraine mainly through the system of “presidential reduction” of the Pentagon’s stockpiles. In addition, the United States is helping Ukraine through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in the longer term – by entering into contracts with industry for the production of weapons.
Po data The Pentagon on May 3, since the start of the Biden administration in 2021, the United States has allocated more than $36.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including $35.7 billion since the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.
Separately, the United States passed a lend-lease law for Ukraine, under which the US will be able to lend or lease protective equipment to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova explained that for defense assistance to Ukraine, the US Department of Defense is still using programs for the donation of weapons, and lend-lease is an additional tool that will be used if necessary.
2023-05-18 18:21:58
#Pentagon #reports #inflated #prices #weapons #Ukraine #lead #additional #deliveries #media
