The U.S. Department of Defence failed to obligate $910 million in military aid for Ukraine before the funding deadline, leaving the money unavailable for new weapons contracts, according to a report by auditors overseeing Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The report, covering the first quarter of 2026, found that the expired funds can no longer be used to sign new agreements with U.S. defence manufacturers because the legal deadline for making new financial commitments has passed, Caliber.Az reports.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. Congress has allocated $33.51 billion through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a programme that finances the purchase of new weapons, equipment and ammunition from U.S. defence contractors.
According to the report, $19.21 billion, or 57% of the total funding, had been spent on defence equipment and services delivered to Ukraine as of March 2026. Another $13.49 billion has been committed to ongoing procurement contracts that have yet to be fully paid, while $110 million has been allocated but not assigned to specific contracts.
The auditors noted that although the $910 million in expired appropriations can no longer be used for new contracts, the funds are not forfeited under Pentagon regulations. Instead, they remain available for up to five years to cover additional costs associated with contracts that were signed before the appropriations expired.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative differs from the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which transfers weapons directly from U.S. military stockpiles. Under the USAI, the Pentagon purchases new military equipment from defence manufacturers for delivery to Ukraine.
By Sabina Mammadli
