The Pentagon's military aid to Kyiv is rapidly shrinking, as US funds for Ukraine's efforts to push back the Russian invasion have almost dried up.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said the US has disbursed 95 per cent of the initial $62.3 billion it had for Ukraine assistance and has only $1 billion left to replenish stockpiles of US weapons that have been sent to Kyiv.
“As you've seen, our packages have been getting smaller because we have had to [ration] our support for Ukraine,” Ms Singh told reporters on Thursday.
The US Congress is at an impasse when it comes to Ukraine funding.
Republican and Democratic senators want to authorise billions more dollars in funding but the Republican-led House of Representatives is refusing to even consider a White House spending package, as far-right opposition to sending more money grows.
Ms Singh said the US is continuing to send support to Ukraine, but packages “just are getting smaller”.
“We really implore Congress to pass the supplemental request that President [Joe Biden] set up so that we can continue to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs,” she said.
Mr Biden has pressed the US Congress to pass a $106 billion supplemental spending bill, with the bulk of the money going to bolster Ukraine's defences and the remainder split among Israel, the Indo-Pacific and border enforcement.
Republicans in the House instead put forward their own funding plan that includes $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, but nothing for Ukraine. The bill has no chance of succeeding as Mr Biden, a Democrat, has said he would veto it.
Ms Singh’s warning was only the latest from the Biden administration, which has said repeatedly it is scrambling to keep military aid flowing to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces.
Last month, the Pentagon said a government shutdown, which is also looming later this month, would slow the pace of replacing weapons stockpiles sent to Ukraine.
Rifts in the Republican Party on Ukraine were on display during a presidential candidate debate on Wednesday. Vivek Ramaswamy criticised the country for being led by a “Nazi” and said it has banned opposition groups, in comments that drew scorn from other candidates.
Ukraine-Russia conflict latest – in pictures
