The military announced on Wednesday that the United States had supplied Ukraine small weapons ammunition that had been taken from Iranian forces while they were transferring it to Yemeni rebels who are supported by Tehran.
At a time when Washington’s capacity to continue equipping Kyiv has been questioned due to resistance from hardline Republican lawmakers, the decision could portend the delivery of more confiscated military equipment to Ukraine.
According to a statement from the military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), “the US government transferred approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds to the Ukrainian armed forces” on Monday.
According to CENTCOM, US naval troops intercepted the weaponry in December 2022 while it was “being transferred from the IRGC to the Huthis in Yemen,” a reference to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Yemeni rebel groups it supports.
It went on to say that on July 20, 2023, “the government acquired ownership of these munitions through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims” against the IRGC.
According to the Pentagon, the United States can continue providing Ukraine with the military support it currently has sanctioned for a “little while longer,” but further help will need to be approved by Congress before it can be provided indefinitely.
In order to avoid a US government shutdown, Republican opposition to fresh aid funds forced Congress to leave it out of a measure that was enacted over the weekend. However, it is unclear how long previously authorised support will endure.
The extraordinary upheaval in the US House of Representatives, which this week dismissed its speaker—the chamber’s most senior official—complicates the approval of additional funds even more.
According to the Pentagon, the government still has the right to remove $5.4 billion worth of military hardware for Ukraine from US military inventories, but only $1.6 billion worth of money to replace the donated equipment.
A coalition to assist Kyiv was swiftly formed after Russia invaded the country last year, and help from other nations was coordinated by US officials, who have led the charge for international support for Ukraine.
Since Moscow began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Washington has contributed more than $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine, accounting for more than half of all foreign security support.
