Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
National
Courtney McBride

Pentagon says a $6 billion accounting error allows more arms for Ukraine

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said it will be able to spend $6 billion more than originally expected on arms for Ukraine thanks to what it called accounting errors.

The Defense Department overstated the value of weapons sent from its stockpiles by $2.6 billion in fiscal 2022 and $3.6 billion in fiscal 2023, for a total of $6.2 billion, deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon.

“It’s just going to go back into the pot of money that we have allocated” for Ukraine, she said, adding that it doesn’t alter the total amount of support authorized by Congress.

Singh attributed the error to “inconsistencies in equipment valuation,” with military services using “replacement cost” for equipment transferred to Ukraine rather than the “net book value.” Previous reports pegged the valuation difference in the $3 billion range.

The latest figures are “final,” Singh said.

Although President Joe Biden has said consistently that the U.S. and its allies will back Ukraine against Russia’s invasion for as long as needed, some Republican lawmakers have objected to the cost and indefinite timeline of security assistance. With no end in sight for the war, the administration faces the prospect of seeking additional money over such opposition once current funding runs out.

Ukraine’s government has pushed for more assistance as it conducts a long-awaited counteroffensive to eject dug-in Russian forces from more of its territory. Officials from Kyiv’s key allies gather in London this week to discuss funding for reconstruction of the country.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.