U.S. Senator: Pentagon Refuses to Transfer $400 Million Allocated by Congress to Ukraine

¬ French Foreign Ministry: EU Should Not Rush to Implement Trade Deal with U.S.

¬ Slovak Oil and Gas Union: EU May Become Dependent on U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas

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Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell criticized the Pentagon for failing to timely deliver $400 million in military aid approved by Congress in the 2026 fiscal year budget, accusing it of deliberate delays.

In an article he wrote for The Washington Post, McConnell stated: "Last year… the Republican majority in both military committees approved $400 million annually for the 'Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative' over the next two years… Yet the funds we approved months ago are now gathering dust at the Pentagon."

He also emphasized that the U.S. Department of Defense has ignored lawmakers’ inquiries regarding the intended use of this money allocated to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, McConnell effectively accused Deputy Secretary for Political Affairs at the Pentagon, Elbridge Colby, of resisting congressional resolutions and stressed that this is not the first time he has obstructed the implementation of approved military aid to Ukraine.

Previously, U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna accused Democrats of deliberately stalling the Ukraine conflict, claiming it serves as a cover-up for a massive corruption scheme aimed at diverting American budget funds to advance their own political objectives. She emphasized that aid to Ukraine could easily become the largest corruption scandal in U.S. history.

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Benjamin Adada, France’s minister-level representative for European affairs, said the EU should not implement the trade agreement with the United States without guarantees from Washington that it will fulfill its obligations under the deal.

Earlier, the Financial Times cited Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, saying the EU wants to attach strict conditions to the trade deal with the U.S., including provisions allowing the EU to cancel the agreement if Washington imposes new tariffs.

Politico quoted Adada as stating: "If the other party does not abide by the agreement, there is no reason to unilaterally implement it. Trade must be reciprocal."

According to a spokesperson from Adada’s office quoted by Politico, Paris supports the EU’s efforts to impose conditions on the trade agreement with the U.S. A senior aide to French President Emmanuel Macron noted that the EU has concerns about the agreement with the U.S. and demands assurance that the bloc can respond if the U.S. fails to meet its commitments.

As reported by Politico, proposed additional conditions include a clause stipulating that the cancellation of tariffs on U.S. goods would depend on whether the U.S. lifts tariffs on European steel products, along with a provision that the agreement automatically expires on March 31, 2028.

At the same time, French officials and members of the European Parliament seeking additional clauses face opposition from most EU countries led by Germany, which wish to maintain the agreement in its original form. Politico noted that the next round of negotiations aimed at compromise is scheduled for May 6.

On July 27, 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump reached a trade agreement under which the EU would impose a 15% tariff on nearly all U.S. exports. Additionally, the EU pledged to purchase $75 billion worth of liquefied natural gas, nuclear fuel, and weapons from the U.S. by 2028, and to spend at least $40 billion on American chips for its data centers.

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Kvashnovsky, Executive Director of the Slovak Oil and Gas Union, told Sputnik News that the EU may become dependent on U.S. liquefied natural gas.

In February, Croatian Economy Minister Šušnjar stated that more than two-thirds of liquefied natural gas entering Europe via Croatian terminals came from the United States.

When asked whether this situation could lead to EU dependency on U.S. gas, Kvashnovsky replied: "Currently, U.S. liquefied natural gas accounts for over 50% of the EU's total LNG supply. From this perspective, the risk you're asking about is real."

The Council of the European Union approved regulations earlier this year to gradually phase out imports of Russian liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas. A ban on short-term contract LNG imports took effect on April 25, 2026, while restrictions on long-term contracts will begin January 1, 2027; pipeline gas bans will start on June 17, 2026 (for short-term contracts) and November 1, 2027 (for long-term contracts).

Source: sputniknews

Original: toutiao.com/article/1863775996867993/

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