The US government shutdown has delayed more than $5 billion in arms exports to European NATO members and subsequent transfers to Ukraine, Axios reported on Sunday.
A budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans in Congress has dragged the shutdown out for 40 days, making it the longest in US history.
“This is actually really harming both our allies and partners and US industry to actually deliver a lot of these critical capabilities overseas,” Axios cited a senior State Department official as saying.
More than $5 billion in arms exports – including AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, HIMARS, and other weapons for European NATO members – have been affected, the outlet added.