The Pentagon has unlocked $400 million in aid to Ukraine following criticism from senators, Bloomberg has reported. The move came after a strongly worded column by former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in The Washington Post.
McConnell reminded that in 2025, Congress approved $400 million for 2026 and another $400 million for 2027 in support of Ukraine. The decision had bipartisan backing, and funding for 2026 was fully authorized, yet the money had remained unused in the Pentagon.
“The Ukraine aid we passed months ago is now collecting dust at the Pentagon,” McConnell wrote in the Washington Post.
Senate pressure forces Pentagon to release funding
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during congressional hearings, acknowledged that the financing “allocated for European capacity building" was released as of yesterday.
Contracts delayed as Ukraine retains choice of procurement
Acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst told the House committee that the funds have not yet been assigned to contracts, and their use will depend on which defense equipment Ukraine chooses to purchase.
Congress demands answers amid lack of transparency
After McConnell stated that the approved aid remained on hold, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee sought explanations from the Pentagon’s analytical division.
The department, overseen by Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, declined to respond, raising further concerns about transparency.
Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance declared that cutting off military funding for Ukraine is among the things he is "proudest that we've done in this administration."
The remarks came as Russia continues deepening its ties with the very coalition that Washington identifies as its primary strategic threat, the so-called "axis of upheaval" that also includes China, Iran, and North Korea. All four powers bound by shared opposition to the West, and specifically to the US.
