Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth (Getty Images)
This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the TV channel C-SPAN, which broadcast the hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Forces.
During the meeting, Senator Angus King (from Maine) raised the issue of further support for Ukraine and previously allocated financial assistance. We are talking about $800 million, the allocation of which was approved last year in two stages – $400 million each in 2026 and 2027. Participants in the hearing said that these funds for 2026 arrived in March, but their distribution is still ongoing.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who was responding to a question from Sen. Angus King about funding for the Ukraine Support Initiative, said that Washington expects more involvement in the Ukraine funding plan from countries in Europe. “We want Europe to step up and fund and shoulder the burden. These are rich countries with $20 trillion fortunes versus a $2 trillion economy. Europe can step up, Europe can finance… If this is so important for Europe… Then European countries should pay,” Hegseth said.
During the same meeting, Pentagon acting finance chief Jules Hurst confirmed that funding for the program for 2027 was not in the document. “Yes, that’s correct. There is no funding for USAI in this budget,” he said.
The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) program is a mechanism for military assistance to Ukraine. Under it, the Pentagon could conclude contracts with defense companies for the production of weapons and equipment for the needs of the AFU. The initiative was launched during the presidency of Joe Biden.
