Trump's decree cuts Ukraine aid; military support stays
Pentagon officials assured that the reduction in aid to Ukraine, resulting from Donald Trump's decree, affects grant aid but not military support. The ambiguity surrounding the U.S. President's decision worried Ukrainians. Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation even published a statement confirming that military aid is still ongoing.
Donald Trump has not halted all aid to Ukraine, as major Ukrainian media outlets (UA.news, Kyiv Independent, RBC Ukraine) report. They also highlight the denial published by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security Council. The controversy began when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday, citing Trump's decree, a freeze on foreign aid programs for at least 90 days. This pause is intended to assess the effectiveness and alignment of the programs with U.S. foreign policy.
"Security assistance for Ukraine is not subject to restrictions under the recent decree, as it pertains exclusively to development programs, not military support," U.S. Department of Defense officials said in response to a question from Ukrainian service Voice of America.
This means that contracts for the production of weapons for Ukraine under the USAI program, established by the Biden administration, remain in effect. Ukraine receives assistance from the United States under three programs: Presidential Drawdown (PDA), Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), and Foreign Military Financing (FMF). The continuation of aid under US Aid is subject to suspension (for 90 days). This form of assistance amounted to 8.6 billion USD, allocated for, among other things, rebuilding the energy grid destroyed by Russian attacks, supporting firefighters, and direct budget support for Ukraine.
"I don't believe there is an option in the American plan to stop the war in Ukraine that would halt weapon and ammunition deliveries. It would be illogical, tantamount to inviting the Kremlin to continue the war," comments General Waldemar Skrzypczak, a former commander of Polish ground forces and a commentator on events in the war in Ukraine.
- Weapon supplies and the announcement of tightening sanctions aimed at Russian raw material sales are elements of a message and warnings intended to prompt Vladimir Putin to negotiate - he adds.
- Halting budget grants means that the Ukrainian economy operates in an extremely difficult situation. There will be more problems with their own military production, industry, and payments. It's possible that Americans might want to seek some savings in financing Ukraine's reconstruction processes. How to rebuild when the hostilities have not been halted - adds General Skrzypczak. In his opinion, the U.S. administration's plan to end the war remains unclear.
How much could Ukrainians lose? This amount was not spent by Joe Biden
During the election campaign, Donald Trump frequently criticized the level of support provided to Ukraine and suggested that Kyiv should prepare for a reduction in aid once he takes office. How much could Ukrainians lose?
Let's recall that the Ukraine aid bill, worth 61 billion dollars, was passed by the U.S. Congress in April 2024. The Joe Biden administration embarked on the plan to "spend every cent" of this pool. In November, Pentagon officials unofficially informed the media that the limit of transshipment capabilities in supplies to Ukraine had been reached.
In Joe Biden's direct competences remained the spending of 10 billion dollars under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). This is a program in which Ukraine receives military equipment from the stocks or surpluses of the American army.
Data on the implementation of the PDA program indicate that at the beginning of January, the outgoing president still had nearly 4.3 billion dollars. On January 9, he signed an aid package (anti-aircraft systems, air-to-ground ammunition, support equipment for Ukrainian F-16s) worth 500 million dollars. That was the last gift for Ukraine. 3.8 billion remained. Ukrainian experts believe that these are the funds the Trump administration will want to withhold.
"I hope that what we've done will ensure that (Trump - editor's note) cannot abandon Ukraine," Joe Biden told a Polish correspondent of Polish Radio in a farewell chat under the White House.
Weapons for Ukraine. They will pay with Russian money
Another program, Foreign Military Financing (FMF), enables Ukraine to purchase weapons and ammunition from American arms companies. Where is the money coming from? A key Trump official spoke important words. Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, revealed in a Friday interview with American television Fox News that the U.S. administration is considering using frozen Russian funds (300 billion dollars) to finance the purchase of American weaponry for Ukraine.
He emphasized that such a support mechanism could constitute a key element of a broad plan aimed at both aiding Ukraine in its fight against Russia and strengthening the domestic arms industry. "We have repeatedly raised the issue of using Russian assets to finance the purchase of weapons from the USA. It is one of the elements that could be on the table for discussion with the President," he added.
Tomasz Molga
