US 'Very Impressed' With Ukraine's Accounting Of Military Aid: Sen. King

A U.S. politician on Sunday praised Ukraine's ability to keep an accounting of the military aid it is receiving from allies.

Speaking on CBS News' "Face the Nation," Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who traveled to Kyiv last week, said Ukraine is working with Deloitte, a London-based accounting firm, and a software from SAP, to keep track of the military aid it has received throughout the war against Russia.

"They're working with Deloitte, the accounting firm. They're working with SAP software. They're accounting for every spare part that's coming into the country, plus, we have an inspector general from the Pentagon who's going over, I think, next month," King said, adding, "I was very impressed by the level of accountability."

King further said that arguments leveled by Republicans who demanded more accountability and oversight on the assistance the U.S. has sent to Ukraine do not "hold water."

"This argument that somehow the money's being wasted, I don't think holds water," the senator added.

The U.S. has so far committed $24.2 billion worth of military assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The figure includes the new $3 billion package that will include 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles that officials said would be helpful in fighting Russian forces positioned in the Donbas region.

"It's a lot of farmland, a lot of open ground and it lends itself well to the kinds of capabilities that are in this," John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, was quoted as saying by The New York Times. "The Bradley Fighting Vehicles are very significant in terms of being able to do what we call combined arms maneuver warfare."

The new military aid package will also include 500 anti-tank missiles, 250,000 rounds of ammunition for the carriers, 100 M113 armored personnel carriers, 55 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, 138 Humvees and other weapons and artillery, according to a press release shared by the U.S. Department of Defense. The $3 billion package will be the largest assistance package to date.

In addition to the military aid, the U.S. is expected to lead a training beginning later this month. The training will allow Ukrainian troops to operate, maintain and repair the weapons and tanks they received from the Pentagon.