Billions in U.S. military aid to Ukraine held up by unfinished contracts

Defense Express reports that despite the announcement of the latest U.S. military aid packages under President Joe Biden, not all Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) packages have been delivered to Ukraine. Moreover, a considerable share of the funding allocated under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) has yet to be converted into actual weapons — or even into signed contracts.

Defense Express points out that while Washington continues to stall further military assistance, Russia is simultaneously ramping up its missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. Against this backdrop, it's important to examine the scale of weaponry that is currently held up — aid that had already been approved, including by the U.S. Congress, and was expected to be delivered.

However, Defense Express clarifies that the notion Ukraine must now rely solely on what has already been contracted under the USAI program is not entirely accurate. In fact, as of early summer 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense was still processing the delivery of the final four PDA aid packages — drawn directly from U.S. military stockpiles.

During a congressional hearing on June 10, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that deliveries from the 71st, 72nd, 73rd, and 74th PDA packages were ongoing. These were announced on December 2 ($725 million), December 12 ($500 million), December 30, 2024 ($1.25 billion), and January 9, 2025 ($500 million).

According to official Biden administration releases, Defense Express reports that the total $2.25 billion in PDA aid includes the following items:

• NASAMS AIM-120 and AIM-9 missiles
• MIM-23 HAWK missiles
• AIM-7 and RIM-7 missiles for FrankenSAM systems (adapted to Soviet-era Buk launchers)
• Stinger MANPADS
• AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles
• Precision-guided aerial bombs (likely JDAM-ER and/or SDB)
• 155mm and 105mm artillery shells
• HIMARS rockets
• TOW and Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as AT-4 grenade launchers
• Drones and counter-UAV systems
• MRAP armored vehicles and HMMWV trucks
• Spare parts and equipment, including for F-16s
• Small arms ammunition, demining equipment, and other material

Defense Express notes that there has been no official disclosure on which of these items had actually reached Ukraine by June. However, the report emphasizes that Patriot air defense missiles are not included — they are likely to be supplied under the USAI framework instead.

When it comes to USAI, the most recent aid package under this mechanism was announced on December 30, 2024. But, Defense Express highlights, the announcement of funds does not mean they have been converted into weapons — or even contracts. As of October 16, 2024, the Pentagon reported the following status for USAI contracting:

Out of $28.6 billion allocated since February 2022, only $21.2 billion had been converted into contracts with weapons manufacturers. Of that amount, nearly half — around $10 billion — was designated for munitions and missile systems. At the same time, $7.4 billion remained uncontracted as of October.

Defense Express underlines that this $7.4 billion uncontracted sum exceeds the value of the three previous USAI aid packages combined. Between July and October 2024, the U.S. announced three USAI packages — on July 3 ($2.2 billion), July 29 ($1.5 billion), and September 26 ($2.4 billion) — totaling $6.1 billion. This casts doubt on whether the earlier $6 billion package, announced April 24, had been fully turned into actionable contracts.

It is also unclear how much more contracting was done between October and December 2024. However, Defense Express reports that two additional USAI packages were unveiled in December — $988 million on December 7 and $1.22 billion on December 30 — amounting to another $2.2 billion in planned aid.

Altogether, from October through December, the Pentagon was expected to finalize contracts for $8.3 billion worth of weapons — spanning at least five USAI packages. These included the same categories of munitions and air defense components as the PDA packages. For instance, Defense Express notes that the July 3 package focused entirely on NASAMS and Patriot missiles, HIMARS rockets, artillery rounds, and air-dropped munitions.

In this context, Defense Express concludes that the best-case scenario would be the full delivery of the final four PDA packages worth $2.25 billion, as well as the successful contracting of the $8.3 billion in USAI assistance. However, given the current political landscape, Defense Express warns that it is increasingly unlikely this will happen under the current U.S. administration. The execution of these contracts would determine whether Ukraine receives this military support in 2025, 2026, or even 2027.

In the end, "the central issue is not only the suspension of new military aid — but also a broader uncertainty around the future of U.S. defense production planning and resource allocation," the outlet concludes.