President Trump has repeatedly said Washington should no longer put taxpayer money into Kiev’s fight with Russia
A draft annual US military budget unveiled by lawmakers on Sunday includes $400 million in assistance for Ukraine, despite President Donald Trump’s insistance that Washington no longer finance Kiev’s war effort.
The proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2026, which brings together variants previously approved by the two houses of Congress, totals a record $901 billion, around $8 billion more than the Trump administration requested.
The sum allocated for Kiev, comprising roughly 0.04% of the total, was reduced from the $500 million that the Senate backed. Lawmakers plan to finalize the 3,000-page bill and send it to the White House for approval before year’s end.
Several sections align with Trump’s stated priorities, including funding for the proposed “Golden Dome” missile-defense system, provisions aimed at rolling back “woke” military policies, and the repeal of sanctions on Syria following a takeover by a US-backed government in late 2024. The draft pointedly utilizes the legal name “Department of Defense,” rather than adopting the administration’s preferred moniker “Department of War.”
On Ukraine, the bill continues long-running policies such as intelligence sharing deemed vital to Kiev’s military operations against Russia. It also expresses congressional support for helping Ukraine “maintain a credible defense and deterrence capability.”
Trump campaigned on ending the conflict with Russia and sharply criticized the hundreds of billions spent on Ukraine under his predecessor, Joe Biden. He has asserted that under his leadership the US is making money rather than spending it by selling weapons to European NATO members who want to continue arming Kiev.
Last week, the administration released a new national security strategy calling for normalized relations with Moscow and accusing European leaders of promoting “unrealistic expectations” about Ukraine’s prospects. Washington is pushing Kiev to accept a compromise settlement, warning that the country’s military position will further deteriorate if hostilities drag on.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, meanwhile, is facing mounting domestic turmoil following a top-level corruption scandal that resulted in the resignation of his closest aide, Andrey Yermak.
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