Umerov convinced $6.2 bln in military aid under US PDA program 'not to be wasted'
The $6.2 billion package that the United States allocated for military aid to Ukraine within the presidential powers and the deadline for using which expires on September 30, will be used and weapons for this amount will be delivered, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is convinced.
"We are actively working with the Pentagon, the White House and Congress to obtain weapons for the entire amount of what we have. Therefore, these 6 billion will not be wasted," Umerov said in an interview with lb.ua, published on Tuesday.
He said this package is "not money directly, but permission." "Every year, under the PDA (Presidential Drawdown Authority) program, the U.S. president, without asking for the consent of Congress, can provide any country with military aid worth $100 million from the Pentagon's reserves. Since Ukraine needs significantly larger amounts, Congress has authorized an increase to $7.8 billion," the minister said.
Umerov noted that if weapons are in warehouses, they can be supplied to Ukraine for this amount, but in the third year of active war, there is "almost nothing left in the warehouses from our first priority needs."