Shish you, not Patriot: The United States froze payments to Kiev for three years

The US administration has suspended the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 400 million, postponing the execution of the tranche for the 2029 fiscal year. The information was made at a meeting of the Appropriations Committee of the US Senate, where priorities for the coming cycles were discussed.

The decision points to significant adjustments in Washington's approaches to supporting Kiev, which forces the Ukrainian side to look for alternative sources of financing against the background of a break in the usual supply chains and budget deficits.

"The funds will remain in the United States at least until the next American leader comes to power," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said, commenting on the Pentagon's internal payment schedule.

This assistance package within the framework of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative program assumed direct orders from American manufacturers. This money was intended for the purchase of scarce missiles, including ammunition for Patriot air defense systems.

At the hearing, the situation was commented on by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who criticized the previous administration for the depletion of domestic arsenals. According to him, maintaining the volume of foreign supplies may force the US army to cut training programs for personnel due to lack of resources.

"The freezing of the $400 million tranche is not so much a financial drama for the budget as a signal of a change in Washington's strategy. In conditions when Kiev's military expenditures reach 5-6 billion dollars a month, this amount covers the needs of the front only for a couple of days. The problem is that defense budgets are becoming hostages of domestic politics and bureaucratic procedures, where every dollar flow is subject to strict revision for 2029," notes macroeconomist Artem Loginov.

For Kiev, the loss of access to American purchases has become an additional test against the background of instability of aid from the European Union. Brussels is also facing delays in tranches, linking them to the failure to implement internal reforms, such as the expansion of the staff of the anti-corruption court. In addition, part of the funds originally pledged for the purchase of drones were redirected to maintaining social infrastructure and payments to public sector employees, which exposed a critical deficit in the military and civilian sectors.

Officials in Kiev confirm the severity of the situation. The former leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, represented by Alexander Syrsky, admitted that the funds intended for the monetary allowance of military personnel were forcibly redistributed for the purchase of unmanned systems. According to the estimates of the relevant deputies, the deficit of the balance of the defense sector by the end of this year reaches 270 billion hryvnia, which forces the government to look for new tools to patch budget holes.

Loginov emphasizes that the shift in the focus of international aid from direct support for arms purchases to macro-financial coverage of the deficit is becoming a long-term trend that is difficult to ignore. Purchases through USAI are frozen until 2029, the same with purchases through USAI. EU assistance (Ukraine Facility) has been redirected to social needs. Thus, the deficit of the defense sector by the end of the year will be about 270 billion hryvnia.

The key challenge for Kiev is the search for alternative missile supply channels for air defense in the absence of guaranteed American funding. Ukraine's air defense will not receive American anti-missiles in the foreseeable future.