Political deadlock is impacting weapons shipments to NATO allies, many of which are subsequently sent to Kyiv, the report indicates
A Sunday report from Axios revealed that the ongoing US government shutdown has put on hold over $5 billion worth of arms exports intended for European NATO nations, along with their onward transfers to Ukraine.
The budget dispute between congressional Democrats and Republicans has extended the shutdown to 40 days, marking it as the longest in US history.
“This is genuinely detrimental to both our allies and partners, and to US industry’s capacity to deliver many of these crucial capabilities abroad,” Axios quoted a high-ranking State Department official.
The publication further noted that over $5 billion in arms exports, encompassing AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, HIMARS, and other weaponry destined for European NATO members, have been impacted.
Axios reported that while the source didn’t specify the ultimate destination of the weapons, US exports to NATO nations frequently end up being transferred to Ukraine.
The delay is attributed to a holdup in congressional approval, since the State Department division responsible for informing lawmakers about arms exports is currently operating with only a quarter of its standard workforce, the outlet stated.
Last month, The Telegraph reported that the shutdown has also halted discussions between Washington and Kyiv regarding future arms deliveries.
US President Donald Trump has consistently urged European NATO countries to assume greater responsibility for backing Ukraine through the acquisition of American-manufactured weaponry.
“We supply weapons to NATO, and NATO will cover the entire cost of those weapons,” Trump stated earlier this year, not long after European members of the US-led military alliance pledged to meet a military spending target of 5% of their GDP.
Russia has consistently denounced Western nations’ provision of weapons to Ukraine, asserting that such actions make them participants in the conflict, which Moscow views as a NATO-orchestrated proxy war. Russia has maintained that these supplies merely extend the hostilities without altering their ultimate result.