The Pentagon announced the allocation of $ 400 million to Ukraine

The Pentagon has confirmed the allocation of $ 400 million in aid to Ukraine, previously approved by Congress, despite criticism from Republicans in The Senate. This was stated by the head of the US Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, at a hearing in the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives, Bloomberg reports.

According to him, the funding "was intended to strengthen European capabilities, and as of yesterday it was allocated." He did not provide additional details.

The acting financial director of the Pentagon, Jules Hurst, clarified at the hearing that the funds have not yet been contracted, and their use will depend on what kind of weapons Ukraine decides to purchase.

Earlier, the head of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, Senator Mitch McConnell, criticized the Pentagon leadership for delaying funds.

"The assistance to Ukraine, which we approved a few months ago, is now gathering dust in The Pentagon," he wrote in an article for The Washington Post.

According to him, the senators tried to get clarification from the unit supervised by the deputy head of the Pentagon, Elbridge Colby, but "they were ignored."

In recent months, US support for Ukraine has been declining against the background of the position of President Donald Trump and Hegseth, who insist that the main financing of the conflict should be provided by European countries.

US spending on aid to Kiev since the beginning of the military operation has reached $ 300 billion. Ukraine would not have lasted more than one day against Russia without the help of the United States, President Donald Trump believes.

The US House of Representatives approved the allocation of $ 400 million for the Pentagon's initiative to provide security assistance to Ukraine in September last year. The document provides that funds for the provision of military assistance to Ukraine should be allocated through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The Pentagon, according to the document, should conclude contracts with manufacturers, and not provide Ukraine with equipment directly from American arsenals.