US Army Veteran: Pentagon's Probe Into Ukraine Aid Unlikely to Hold Culprits Accountable

Pentagon Inspector-General General Robert Storch announced on February 23 that US criminal investigators have opened over 50 cases related to Ukraine aid. How could the probe pan out?

The Pentagon has signaled that it wants to probe the alleged "procurement fraud, product substitution, theft, fraud or corruption, and diversion" connected to military aid to the Kiev regime.

"It will be used as a political kind of thing: 'Hey, we're trying to work on this.' But, realistically, we’re not going to put sanctions on Ukraine, and we're not going to put sanctions on key people," Earl Rasmussen, international consultant and retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, told Sputnik.

"They'll do things behind the doors. And I'll be surprised if they actually come up with some firm, provable allegations to support this. Some of the information will be classified," the US military veteran continued. "I see this just as a media thing and the Defense Department trying to show that they are doing something, but I really question — even if they come up with some specific findings and individuals or organizations, — I don't think anything much is going to happen to it."

Concerns about the Department of Defense's inability to track military aid to Ukraine began to emerge as early as in April 2022, when US officials and Pentagon sources, quoted by CNN, said that the US has "few ways" to track weaponry it has sent across the border into Ukraine.

They raised fears that US arms could end up in the wrong hands. Earlier, the US-funded 2021 Global Organized Crime Index called Ukraine one of the largest arms-trafficking markets in Europe.

"We've known for over a year at the Pentagon, it was even documented that they had concerns at that time," Rasmussen noted. "We've had evidence that things have shifted to the black market. And we also know that Director Burns went over to, Mr Zelensky, and specifically talked about corruption."

Congress Republicans have repeatedly raised alarm over the lack of oversight of US military aid to Ukraine. In February, House representatives requested documents related to America's assistance to Kiev from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Congressmen demanded to know "how the Department intends to mitigate the vulnerabilities of military assistance to Ukraine."

"This is a laundering machine as well, because a lot of this aid doesn't even go to Ukraine," explained Rasmussen. "A lot of it goes to the military industrial complex. And they make contributions to ensure that votes go along to provide, keep jobs in their different individuals’ districts and things. You have a lobbying effort going on in the background here as well, which really could care less as far as how many people die."

When asked how the inspector-general's investigations could affect the prospects of President Joe Biden's $60-billion Ukraine aid request getting through the House of Representatives, the retired lieutenant colonel argued that the probe would not stop Congress approving at least some of the latest arms package for the Kiev regime.

"I still don't believe they'll end up being $60 billion, maybe $30 billion or $40 billion, but they will. They're just politically too deep into this, and no one wants to look for a way out prior to the election," he said.

At the same time, he did not rule out US and European conservatives — visibly growing skeptical of Washington's and Brussels' attempts to pour billions into Ukraine despite repeated military failures — scrutinising the spending. Republicans could capitalize on the issue prior to the November elections.

"Maybe you might see more of this coming out of Europe than the US media. It depends on which media. If you have a more conservative media, perhaps that is going to come out more," Rasmussen concluded.