Two senior Republican senators on July 30 unveiled a plan that would allow European partners to fund the transfer of American weapons and military equipment to Ukraine.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing Republican aides in the Senate.
The “Peace Act” was proposed by Republican senators Roger Wicker and Jim Risch. It is the most detailed description yet of how Trump could implement his new plan to supply weapons to Ukraine with European funds. Wicker chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee and Risch chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, which gives the bill weight on Capitol Hill.
The document provides for the creation of a fund in the US Treasury Department to receive money from allies. The US Secretary of Defense could then use this fund to pay contractors to replenish US arsenals so that the Pentagon can continue to send weapons to Ukraine without undermining Americaʼs military readiness. In early July, the Pentagon temporarily suspended aid to Ukraine under this pretext.
Senatorsʼ aides said they hope to create a stable source of funding of about $5 billion to $8 billion a year. Germany and the United Kingdom are among the likely donors.
European partners are already paying American contractors to produce new weapons for Ukraine. This process is expected to continue, but it could take years. Senator Wicker said the Peace Act gives Trump and NATO allies an additional opportunity to speed up the delivery of military aid to Ukraine, using existing US stockpiles.
Aides said Wicker has discussed the proposal with the White House, which has generally been positive about it. The bill is expected to be passed later this year as part of the annual defense policy bill Wickerʼs committee develops.
What is known about weapons for Ukraine?
The US and NATO agreed on weapons supplies to Ukraine on July 14. Trump spoke of "the most advanced weapons" worth "billions of dollars", while Rutte emphasized that the deal included both ammunition and missiles. Details about the types of weapons were not specified.
The plan, which the US has agreed with NATO, envisages that European countries will transfer weapons, including Patriot systems, to Ukraine from their existing stockpiles so that they can be used as soon as possible. These countries will then purchase replacements from the US. It is already known that Germany will purchase two Patriot systems from the US for Ukraine. The decision on the transfer will be made within “a few days or weeks”.
After Trump reported the deal, Axios, citing sources, reported that the United States would sell nearly $10 billion worth of weapons to NATO allies for further deliveries to Ukraine. And thatʼs just the first phase.
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