Biden officials weigh giving Ukraine weapons without replacing U.S. stocks right away or waiting for Congress funds
Biden admin officials met Tuesday to discuss ways to fill Ukraine’s urgent needs for artillery and ammo, including drawing down U.S. stockpiles without replenishing them immediately or waiting for more money from Congress.
Biden administration officials met Tuesday at the Pentagon to discuss ways to fill some of Ukraine’s urgent needs for artillery and ammunition quickly, including possibly drawing down U.S. stockpiles without replenishing them immediately or without waiting for more money from Congress, say two senior administration officials and a congressional official.
In the meeting, officials discussed various ways the Pentagon could resupply critical artillery and ammunition that Ukraine is expected to run out of soon, even while the White House’s request for new funding from Congress remains stalled, the officials said. No decisions have been made, according to the officials.
The discussions reflect growing alarm in the administration that Ukraine is poised to run out of key weaponry in the next few weeks, including 155 mm artillery rounds and air defense munitions.
Not all administration officials support the idea of sending a tranche of aid to Ukraine as a stopgap move, however. Some administration and congressional officials are concerned that such a move could imperil White House negotiations with Congress, particularly House Republican leaders, to get roughly $60 billion in new Ukraine aid through the chamber. Other officials are wary of the idea because it could put the U.S. military’s stockpiles below levels that are considered necessary for sufficient readiness.
But after months of fiercely protecting stockpiles in the name of military readiness, Pentagon officials are now warming to the idea of accepting some risk to U.S. readiness in order to keep Ukraine in the fight.
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