The U.S. government completes its $400 million military aid commitment to Ukraine to avoid funding lapses

US President Trump. (AP)

[Reporter Wu Zheyu/Comprehensive Report] The US$400 million (approximately NT$12.69 billion) military aid to Ukraine approved by the US Congress at the end of last year has made progress before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Three people familiar with the matter revealed that the Trump administration has made legally binding expenditure commitments for most of the funds. Currently, US$307 million has completed its obligatory commitments, and the remaining US$93 million is expected to be formally included in the contract before the deadline to avoid funding lapse.

Military News Network "Defense News" reported that the funds came from the "Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative" (USAI) and are managed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Instead of directly purchasing weapons from the existing inventory of the US military, USAI mainly purchases equipment from the defense industry through contracts and then provides them to Ukraine. The U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment on related plans this time.

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Sources said that the first batch of aid has begun to be delivered this month, including offensive weapons, armored vehicle components and other equipment, and the remaining items are expected to be delivered one after another before October 2029. The remaining US$93 million does not require actual payment before September 30, but the contract must be formally signed before the deadline, otherwise the funds will expire.

This US$400 million aid had previously become the focus of controversy in the US Congress. Democratic and some Republican congressmen have criticized the U.S. Department of Defense for its delay in spending the funding for aid to Ukraine approved by both parties in Congress last December. In particular, some equipment may take several years to be delivered, which is considered by congressmen to be too slow for the ongoing war.

It is worth noting that this batch of military aid does not include the "Patriot" interceptor missiles that Ukraine urgently needs. Sources pointed out that the U.S. war against Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war have consumed a large amount of the global Patriot missile inventory, and the Russian army continues to use drones and ballistic missiles to attack Ukrainian cities, causing Kiev to continue to request allies to provide more interceptors.

Trump also recently met with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. After the meeting, Zelensky said that the two sides discussed relevant plans to end the Russia-Ukraine war, including the possibility of reaching a bilateral ceasefire targeting energy facilities.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has been a major recipient of U.S. foreign aid. However, after Trump returned to the White House in 2025 and Republicans took control of both houses of Congress, the U.S. aid policy to Ukraine continued to attract attention; this time the government rushed to complete its funding commitments before the deadline, at least ensuring that the US$400 million in military aid approved by Congress would not expire at the end of the fiscal year.