On the first day of his presidency, Donald Trump will have billions of dollars at his disposal to arm Ukraine. More than $6.5B remains within the presidential drawdown authority, which allows the US president to transfer weapons and equipment from US defense stocks directly to Ukraine.
According to The Times, the Pentagon has now reached a critical limit in terms of the weapons that it can transfer to Ukraine each month without harming its own combat capability. There are also logistical problems with weapon deliveries. So Trump will soon control how the remaining money will be spent.
One possible scenario is that Trump could threaten Putin by giving him a choice: sit down at the negotiating table or face an accelerated supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine.
“If peace talks fail, Trump could provide Ukraine with weapons that would enable it to expel Moscow’s troops from the country and declare victory,” analysts suggest.
But it’s more likely that Ukraine will only receive enough weapons to maintain a frozen conflict and prevent Russian troops from advancing further.