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A bipartisan group of U.S. senators pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday to move forward on $600 million in security assistance for Ukraine and allies in eastern Europe, according to a letter the senators sent that cites delays at the Department of Defense. The lawmakers said the Pentagon has not delivered a promised spending plan, even though Congress allocated the funds last year.
The senators’ letter focuses on $400 million in security aid for Ukraine and an additional $200 million for defense programs in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In their message, they argued that the Department of Defense should disburse the money and provide lawmakers with the updates they have been requesting.
Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, said in the joint letter that Ukraine “has persistently and bravely repelled a four-year Russian onslaught, but its military needs and deserves continued American support.” The letter added that the bipartisan group expects the administration to follow through on the funding timeline.
The senators said Hegseth had told lawmakers during a congressional hearing about three weeks earlier that the Ukraine funding had been “released,” and that a spending plan would be sent to lawmakers soon. They said the Pentagon instead missed the May 15 deadline for that plan.
In their warning to Hegseth, the senators said that any further delays could affect U.S. deterrence efforts toward Russia. They cited concerns that the Department reportedly planned troubling withdrawals of U.S. troops from the region as pressure continues over the pace of Ukraine and European ally support.
The letter also reflects broader Republican frustration with the Trump administration in recent weeks, following additional disputes involving the president and his advisers. Sen. Thom Tillis, in a back-and-forth with the president on social media Friday, criticized the president’s advisers for policies he said were hurting the GOP politically, including language about firing generals and not holding Putin accountable for actions against Ukrainian civilians.
The senators’ push comes amid continuing debate in Congress over how to support Ukraine as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. In the House, lawmakers discussed momentum around a Democratic-backed proposal that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia and send $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, even as the article said the package is unlikely to become law.
While the $400 million in Ukraine security aid described in the senators’ letter is smaller than the multi-billion dollar assistance Congress approved earlier after Russia’s invasion, the senators said the provision has taken on added significance for lawmakers as a sign of continued support.