Ukraine has received only 10% of the $61 billion US aid package approved in April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on 30 October on his Telegram channel. Speaking to journalists in Iceland, he expressed frustration over the slow delivery.
The US remains Ukraine’s largest donor, having provided more than $64.1 billion since Russia’s invasion in 2022, followed by Germany as Ukraine’s second-largest weapons supplier. The delayed aid delivery comes as Ukraine faces continued Russian military pressure and potential North Korean involvement in the war.
Reuters reported Zelenskyy as saying:
“You do your job. You count on reserves, you count on special brigades, you count on such equipment. And if you get 10% of all the package [that] has already been voted on… it’s not funny.”
The aid package was approved following six-months-long delays due to opposition from US Congress Republicans. While President Biden described the aid as “urgent” when signing the bill in April, no specific delivery timeline was provided, Business Insider noted.
The latest US aid delivery, announced on 16 October, amounted to $425 million and included munitions, military vehicles, grenades, and training support, drawing from the same $61 billion allocation.
Zelenskyy also highlighted unfulfilled commitments from NATO allies, noting that promised air defense systems had not been fully delivered. According to the Ukrainian president, NATO countries had pledged to provide six or seven systems by early September.
Also, the Ukrainian President commented on the recent media leak of the confidential information by the US Biden Administration, saying:
“When a lot of countries began to support [Ukraine’s] victory plan, you see what’s going on now in media, they said that Ukraine wants or wanted a lot of missiles like Tamahawk, etc, but it was confidential information between Ukraine and White House. How to understand these messages? so it means between partners there [are] no any confidential things.”
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