US senators press Hegseth on delayed $400 million aid package for Ukraine

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators urged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a May 23 letter to release a previously approved $400 million aid package for Ukraine that has been delayed for months.

The letter, spearheaded by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, comes after months of delays and mounting pressure from U.S. lawmakers for the Pentagon to release a broader $600 million security package, that includes $400 million in assistance to Ukraine and $200 million for Baltic states.

The $400 million package was approved by Congress in December 2025 but remained stalled at the Pentagon for months. Hegseth previously told the House Armed Services Committee on April 29 that the funding had been unlocked after bureaucratic hurdles were resolved. Despite promises by the Pentagon to deliver a spending plan to the Senate by May 15, senators say they have yet to receive details as to how the money will be disbursed.

"Any further delays — particularly as the Department reportedly plans troubling U.S. troops withdrawals from the region — risks our ability to adequately deter Russia," the letter read, according to the Associated Press (AP).

"Ukraine has persistently and bravely repelled a four-year Russian onslaught, but its military needs and deserves continued American support," the letter, co-signed by three Republican and three Democratic senators, continues.

Congress reauthorized the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in December as part of a $900 billion defense spending bill, allocating $400 million annually for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to sustain military support for Kyiv. The broader legislation also reinforced congressional oversight of Ukraine policy, including new reporting requirements if the Pentagon seeks to limit intelligence sharing or alter troop deployments in Europe.

Since his inauguration in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has not allocated any new defense aid packages under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) — a tool frequently used by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. Instead, the Trump administration has opted to sell weapons to Ukraine via NATO partners, using the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).

On May 21, the U.S. State Department approved a $108.1 million sale of equipment to Ukraine to support the HAWK air defense missile system.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy reported on Feb. 11 that U.S. military aid to Ukraine fell by 99% in 2025, with the European Union now providing the majority of financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, while a small group of donor countries providing most of the military aid.