The Pentagon intends to use «every dollar and cent» of the $5.8 billion from the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) program, under which weapons can be provided to Ukraine from U.S. stockpiles.
Russian media and social networks are actively spreading manipulative information based on a briefing by Pentagon representative Sabrina Singh. The reports, citing data from the U.S. Department of Defense, claim that Ukraine will soon lose financial support from the U.S., and that American long-range missiles «cannot change the situation on the battlefield in Kyiv’s favor, nullifying Zelensky’s ‘victory plan.’»
Manipulative news is based on a press briefing by Pentagon representative Sabrina Singh on September 19, 2024. At the end of September, the US fiscal year ends, and at the same time, the term for using the financial assistance allocated to Ukraine to counter Russian aggression expires.
This refers to $5.8 billion from the PDA program, which allows Ukraine to receive weapons from U.S. stockpiles. These program permit the president, without Congressional approval, to urgently supply defense supplies and services from the U.S. Department of Defense reserves to foreign states and organizations in case of unforeseen circumstances. Since August 2022, the U.S. administration has used this authority 49 times to provide military assistance to Ukraine.
«As PDA is an authority, not a funding source, once notified to Congress there is no ‘expiration date’ for the provision of defense articles and services up to the value that was notified. Any additional space within the previously notified PDAs, identified as a result of DOD’s recalculation of the value of previous PDAs therefore remains available for Ukraine regardless of the end of the fiscal year.,» the U.S. State Department emphasized.
Therefore, during the Pentagon briefing on September 19, 2024, when asked whether Ukraine would be left without support from its American allies after the end of the fiscal year, Sabrina Singh assured that the Pentagon intends to use «every dollar and cent» from the allocated sum for Ukraine. According to her, the administration, together with Congress, is working on extending the necessary authorities and does not plan to leave Ukraine without funding.
«There is every intention that we want to use every dollar and cent of that authority… Right now we’re working with Congress to extend this authority. Look, there is a — there is bipartisan agreement in Congress that we are going to continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and you’re seeing that on both sides of the aisle. So, I think that there is agreement on, you know, we’re going to continue to support Ukraine. We’re working with Congress right now,» Singh emphasized.
Russian media also manipulated another statement by the Pentagon representative regarding Ukraine’s permission to strike deep into Russian territory with American long-range weapons. Singh noted that, for now, the U.S. position remains unchanged, but «there is broad unity and cohesion with European countries, the United States and other partners and allies around the world when it comes to making sure Ukraine has what it needs on the battlefield to take back its sovereign territory.»
At the same time, Singh pointed out that long-range missiles alone are indeed not a «silver bullet» against the Russian army—such issues require a comprehensive approach, the Pentagon representative believes.
«It’s how all the weapons, all the systems knit together and how the Ukrainians employ those together on the battlefield. That’s — that is how they are going to be successful. So, again, it’s not one system that all of a — suddenly X happens and, you know, it’s a deluge and they’ve been able to, you know, take back all their sovereign territory. It’s not a silver bullet. It’s how they all work together. And you’re talking about US systems, NATO systems, different European systems, and old Soviet systems all working together. And that is a challenge, and that is why, you know, the Ukrainians continue to be — they’re employing all these different types of capabilities on the battlefield and still being very successful at doing that. But it is not one system or capability that’s going to be that silver bullet,» Singh stated.
The Russian claim about the «uselessness» of Western weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine is a continuation of the broader Kremlin narrative about allied military aid to Ukraine. Russian media are intensifying the spread of disinformation about Western arms supplies to Ukraine, trying to portray the «ineffectiveness» of Western aid provided to help Ukraine repel Russian aggression. Detailed analyses of this narrative can be found in various StopFake reports.
