Ukraine's U.S. Military Aid is About to Run Out

The Pentagon has warned Congress it is about to run out of security assistance for Ukraine, and a senior White House official said the Biden administration only has enough funding left to send one final aid package to Kyiv before the money dries up at the end of the year.

The warnings come as Congress scrambles to reach a deal on new aid to Ukraine in the coming days, before lawmakers leave Washington for their holiday break and attention shifts early next year to the 2024 presidential election.

Republican presidential candidates and a growing number of GOP lawmakers have voiced opposition to the U.S. continuing to back Ukraine. Public opinion has also shifted, with more Americans skeptical of providing long-term support to Ukraine.

The Defense Department is spending its last $1.07 billion to buy new weapons for Ukraine to replenish U.S. stocks, Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord told congressional leaders in a letter Monday.

"Once these funds are obligated, the Department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine," McCord wrote to House and Senate lawmakers in the letter, which was seen by Newsweek.

The administration is planning to send one more aid package to Ukraine later this month before the Defense Department runs out of money to replace weapons it has sent to Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday.

The U.S. has "one more aid package left in us before our replenishment authority dries up," Kirby said. "By the end of the month that dedicated funding for Ukraine is not going to be there."

Senior administration officials are using the warnings to urge Congress to approve more funding for Ukraine. McCord told lawmakers that securing more aid to Ukraine was in the United States' "clear national interest." Kirby argued additional assistance would help Ukraine defend against a Russian winter offensive.

"Ukraine still needs our help and it's well past time for Congress to act."

President Joe Biden in October asked Congress to approve a $100 billion emergency funding request that included security assistance for Ukraine and Israel.

Negotiations over a spending package have hit a snag over border security provisions for the U.S.-Mexico border. Republicans have said border security improvements must be included in a spending package with additional funding for Ukraine.

Lawmakers worked over the weekend to craft a deal that would get enough Republican support to pass before the end of the year.

The sprint to reach a final deal comes on the heels of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington last week. Zelensky met with Biden at the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill to make his case for additional security aid.