After a week-long halt in the delivery of already approved military aid to Ukraine, Washington has begun discussing the first use of the PDA mechanism since February 9, 2025, which allows weapons to be transferred from the Pentagon's stockpiles.
According to its own sources, Reuters reports that the decision will be announced shortly. The report outlines a $300 million package, including missiles for Patriot systems and medium-range offensive rockets.
Read more: UK Backs Ukraine with £2.5 Billion Defense Financing for Thousands of Air Defense Missiles, Systems, and Recovery
On behalf of Defense Express we note that $1 billion in PDA funding allocated during the Biden administration remains available, along with $2.8 billion reinstated following an accounting error discovered in summer 2023. In total, this represents up to $3.8 billion.
At the same time, the phrase "medium-range offensive missiles" falls outside standard terminology, making it difficult to determine exactly what is being referred to. However, it is unlikely that this refers to something new, and so far it resembles a very accurate description of GMLRS for HIMARS.
In addition, Donald Trump's announcement of a "major statement on russia" indicates a return to the policy of unwavering support for Ukraine with weapons from the U.S. He also stated that he is prepared to supply weapons to Ukraine on condition that they are paid for.
"We are sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100%. So what we are doing is the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine], and NATO is paying for those weapons", Trump said.
The decision has sparked considerable debate, with European countries even confirming their willingness to finance American arms for Ukraine. Moreover, organizing aid through NATO would serve as a significant test of the pro-russian stances held by the current governments of Hungary and Slovakia.
It is also worth noting that, with high probability, not all funds allocated under the USAI program in aid packages from summer through the end of 2024 have been converted into actual contracts. We are referring to an amount of up to $8.3 billion.
Read more: U.S. Sets New Deadline For Failed Ammo Production Ramp-Up to a Million Shells Yearly
