For the first time since the beginning of his presidential term, US leader Donald Trump is considering the possibility of allocating additional funds for military support to Ukraine, CBS reported, citing its sources.
The television company notes that the source of possible new funding is unknown, explaining that Trump has about $ 3.85 billion left over from the previous Joe Biden administration. They were allocated through the PDA (Presidential Drawdown Authority) mechanism, which allows the US president to supply weapons to a foreign partner without the approval of Congress in the event of an emergency.
CBS assumes that Trump may use these funds to transfer weapons to Kiev. According to sources at the television company, such a step would serve as a “signal to Russia“. At the same time, it is noted that Trump could theoretically transfer $5 billion in Russian assets frozen in the United States to Ukraine, emphasizing that neither the current head of the White House nor his predecessor in the highest state post resorted to such a measure.
On Friday, Politico reported that Trump is considering providing Ukraine with a new package of American weapons and military equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Similar data was disseminated on Thursday by Reuters. According to them, the volume of deliveries of new weapons could reach $300 million.
On July 2, The New York Times reported that the United States would suspend deliveries of Patriot missiles, GMLRS precision-guided munitions, Hellfire guided missiles, Stinger MANPADS and a number of other weapons to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry then summoned the acting US representative in Kiev, John Ginkel, and Volodymyr Zelensky noted that Europe was unable to replace American supplies.
On July 3, Trump said that Washington continues to provide military assistance to Kiev. At the same time, he emphasized that the United States itself needs weapons. On July 7, Trump effectively announced the resumption of supplies of weapons and military equipment to Kiev. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on July 10 that arms supplies to Ukraine are continuing, in general, according to the schedule agreed upon between the administration and Congress. According to him, the “enormous volumes of military assistance“ provided by the United States to Ukraine “have never been stopped“.