VoA: US military using own funding to train Ukrainian soldiers
The U.S. Army has been forced to use its own funding to support the training of Ukrainian troops, as Congress has so far failed to pass additional aid, the Voice of America (VoA) reported on Feb. 27.
Legislation allocating further funds for Ukraine has been stuck in Congress for months, causing U.S. assistance to almost run dry and putting further strain on Ukraine's defense capabilities.
U.S. military officials told the VoA that if nothing changes, the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa may run out of resources "for everything," including the support for Ukraine and training and operations with NATO partners, by summer.
"It is an essential mission. We can't turn our backs on them," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told the VoA.
"Our Army, our services are gonna have to start talking and making decisions that can impact the entire force."
Ukraine is in an increasingly precarious position in the war with Russia, as the cuts in U.S. support threaten to cause critical ammunition shortages as early as spring.
The lack of artillery shells contributed to the loss of Avdiivka, a key front-line city in Donetsk Oblast, earlier in February.
The U.S. Senate has already passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill that allocates $60 billion for Kyiv, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet put it to a vote in Congress's lower chamber, despite the pressure from the Senate and the White House.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
