US Senate eyes up to $8 billion in Ukraine arms supplies a year in allied-funded scheme, WSJ reports
Two senior Republican senators have unveiled a plan that would allow Washington's allies to fund arms supplies to Ukraine in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on July 30.
The so-called Peace Act, proposed by Senators Roger Wicker and Jim Risch — chairs of the Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs committees — would establish a fund at the U.S. Treasury through which NATO allies could contribute money, enabling the Pentagon to replenish weapons sent to Kyiv.
The proposal follows Trump's announcement on July 14 that the U.S. would continue providing advanced arms to Ukraine via NATO, with the allies footing the bill.
According to the WSJ, the plan's proponents hope for between $5-8 billion in funding a year, with Germany and the U.K. seen as the most likely contributors.
Other NATO members, such as Italy or France, have already signaled they would not take part in the Trump-proposed arms scheme and would focus on other initiatives in support of Ukraine.
The bill aims to address Trump's calls for European allies to take up more responsibility for Ukraine's defense while enabling swift weapons deliveries to the war-torn country.
The White House has been receptive to the proposal, which is expected to be passed later this year as part of the annual defense policy bill, according to the WSJ.
Starting his second term in office with the aim of brokering a quick peace deal in Ukraine, Trump has long been reluctant to approve additional arms supplies to the besieged country.
The U.S. president has not approved any new aid packages from the roughly $3.85 billion remaining in the presidential drawdown authority. His administration allowed the continued flow of the packages approved under former President Joe Biden, though briefly pausing them on three separate occasions.
Recent weeks saw Trump shifting his stance as he grew frustrated with Russia's refusal to accept a ceasefire and intensifying Russian strikes against Ukrainian cities. Trump threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia unless the Kremlin agrees to a peace deal within 50 days, later cutting the deadline down to 10 days on July 29.
