The Pentagon has no evidence of misappropriation of aid allocated by Ukraine

Pentagon officials said on Tuesday there was no evidence that Ukrainian authorities misused the tens of billions of dollars in aid provided by Washington to Kiev following the Russian invasion. Republican congressmen are trying to increase oversight of aid to Ukraine.
Since the start of the invasion, military aid to Kiev has topped $50 billion, more than half provided by the United States, drawing criticism from some politicians, including 11 Republicans who co-sponsored a resolution calling for the end of military aid to Ukraine any form of aid.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee summoned Undersecretary of Defense for Political Affairs Colin Kahl and two other senior Defense Department officials to a hearing today.
“There is no evidence that Ukrainians are diverting (supplying weapons) to the black market,” Kahl said, answering questions from Republicans. “It’s not surprising given the intensity of the fight and the fact that they are clearly using what we provide them and what our allies and partners provide to them with maximum efficiency. If some of these systems have been hijacked , it was the Russians who seized (Ukrainian weapons) on the battlefield.
Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch said there were “a significant number” of people in the area overseeing supply and training for the Ukrainian military.
“We have not confirmed any such cases” of illegal diversion of critical weapons such as Stinger missiles, Storch said.
The officials’ comments during the hearing were backed up by Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder.
Washington has seen “no evidence of widespread redirection of the aid we’ve provided,” Ryder told reporters.
Republican Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the huge amount of aid required “an unprecedented level of scrutiny from this committee and from Congress.”
While Washington has promised Kiev many weapons systems, it has not provided the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine has requested. This question was raised several times during the hearings.
Kahl said it would cost billions of dollars, could take around 18 months, and use funds that could be used for more pressing needs.
Aircraft are “a priority for the Ukrainians, but not in their top three priorities,” he said, noting that the top three included air defense, artillery and armored vehicles.
White House officials have repeatedly said Washington will back Ukraine “as long as it takes,” and Kahl admitted that could be years.
“The conflict could be over in six months, in two years or in three years,” he said.