Ukraine recently said that Washington's ban meant Ukraine was unable to attack Russian forces as they were building up before crossing the border into Kharkiv Oblast in the renewed Russian offensive that began earlier in May.
"But all accounts are that they (Ukraine) continue to take measures to defend their territory," Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said, adding that the U.S. is going to do "everything we can to get them the critical munitions and supplies that they need."
The U.S. Pentagon is preventing the Russian military from using Starlink internet terminals operated on the battlefield in Ukraine, John Plumb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, said in an interview with Bloomberg on May 9.
The Pentagon announced on April 24 that it is ready to move forward with sending $1 billion of weapons from U.S. stockpiles to Kyiv now that President Joe Biden has signed a $95 billion aid package that includes more aid for Ukraine.
The U.S. Pentagon assessed that North Korea continues to supply Russia with weapons, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing on April 1.
The U.S. Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General on March 19 announced that it had launched a website to track U.S. military and other assistance to Ukraine.
This is the first package since last December, as U.S. funds for Kyiv have been blocked by disputes in Congress.
Drawing on the Pentagon reserves would free up about $200 million in immediate military aid to Ukraine.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will discuss bilateral security cooperation and military support for Ukraine.
It is critical for Ukraine to receive additional U.S. funding not only to defend itself but also to take back Russian-occupied territories, Pentagon spokesperson General Pat Ryder said on Feb. 29.
The Pentagon is considering tapping into the remaining funds in the presidential drawdown authority (PDA), even though it remains uncertain whether Congress approves funding to replenish these funds, CNN reported on Feb. 28, citing U.S. defense officials.
"So if you've seen with most of our PDAs (Presidential Drawdown Authority), we've been able to surge systems and capabilities pretty rapidly, within a few days," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in response to a question on how quickly the aid can be delivered.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov spoke with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Feb. 20, Umerov wrote on Facebook.
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