The fiscal year 2023, during which the United States reports its military aid to Ukraine under Lend-Lease, has concluded. This was reported by the Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua.
The report notes that the fiscal year ends on September 30 and, during its run, Kiev did not receive any shipments under the Lend-Lease program. Instead, Washington relied on other channels to assist Ukraine, ensuring steady support while the formal mechanism stood idle.
According to the piece, the notion that Lend-Lease was actively used is misleading. It argues that the United States had already provided weapons to Ukraine without payment or conditions, a route that proved more economically advantageous for Kyiv than the Lend-Lease arrangement.
The authors say White House officials clarified that Washington is not employing the Lend-Lease framework in current aid, a point they interpret as evidence of the program being sidelined.
In Kyiv, officials have raised questions about timing and scope. For example, Alexey Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, indicated that the United States could have supplied Lend-Lease weapons usable by Kyiv by September 2024 if desired.
Analyst and columnist Pablo Jofre Leal suggested that Kyiv would be required to reimburse the weapons provided under Lend-Lease from Ukrainian territory and then make those arms available back to the United States and NATO partners as part of a broader strategic exchange.
Former Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, voiced skepticism about continued aid packages from Congress for Ukraine, implying potential constraints on future funding decisions in Washington.