US plans billions in Ukraine aid after Congress fails extension

(CNN) — The US plans to announce billions of dollars for Ukraine within days after Congress failed to include an aid extension in its stopgap measure to keep the government open, according to two defense officials and several congressional sources.

The first of the military aid packages, which is expected as soon as Wednesday, will total $375 million, according to defense officials. From there, the value of the packages will rise sharply, with less than a week before the remainder of the authority expires. Although the packages will be announced soon, the shipment of weapons will be delayed because of dwindling stockpiles of the weapons and equipment that the US is willing to send Ukraine, as CNN previously reported.

The Biden administration has nearly $6 billion left in what’s known as presidential drawdown authority to deliver arms and equipment to Ukraine before it expires at the end of the month. The Pentagon was pushing Congress to extend the authority into the next fiscal year so that it would not expire, which would give the US more flexibility in its ability to provide critical supplies to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Congressional leaders were forced to leave the language out of the spending bill because of internal resistance from the House GOP, according to a person familiar with the matter. House Republicans remain deeply divided over funding for Ukraine.

The House is expected to easily approve the stopgap spending measure Wednesday and then leave Washington until after the November election. The Senate could take up the funding measure as early as late Wednesday or early Thursday – the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit the US Capitol.

Zelensky has repeatedly called on the US and other countries to deliver more weapons to Ukraine and has pushed for the US to loosen its restrictions on the use of US weapons against targets deep inside Russia.

On Tuesday, Zelensky told the United Nations General Assembly that “Russia can only be forced into peace.”

“This war can’t simply fade away, that’s why this war can’t be calmed by talks. Action is needed,” Zelensky said in his remarks.

CNN reported last week that the US was considering announcing large military aid packages to Ukraine that would be delivered over months. In the past, military aid packages under presidential drawdown authority were often delivered within days or weeks.

But with billions in military aid set to expire, the US is expected to announce a large overall aid package and space out the delivery of supplies and equipment over several months, turning a short-term supply line into a longer-term commitment.

“There is every intention that we want to use every dollar and cent of that authority,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing last week.