The United States is expected to announce soon that it will send seized small arms and ammunition to Ukrainea US official said today.

The US Navy is believed to has for years seized weapons originating from Iran and destined for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, which were usually transported by fishing vesselsa.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the announcement could be made as early as this week.

The weapons are expected to be small arms such as pistols and are unlikely to make much of a difference on the battlefield, while long-range weapons and anti-aircraft defense systems top Ukraine’s wish list.

The seized weapons to be transferred are also unlikely to ease concerns about the continued flow of Western arms to Kiev.

Last year the British Navy had announced that a warship seized Iranian weapons, including surface-to-air missiles and cruise missile engines, from traffickers in international waters south of Iran.

The US Congress did not include new funds for Ukraine in the temporary US defense spending bill it passed on Saturday to keep the federal government open, underscoring the growing reluctance of some Republicans to commit funds to Kiev.

Yemen’s Houthi movement fighting an alliance led by Saudi Arabia in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and left 80% of the population dependent on foreign aid.

The United States are pressuring their ally Saudi Arabia to end the war and are tying some US military support to the kingdom to ending its involvement in Yemen.

The American network CNN points out that “it is not clear what legal authorities the US will use to facilitate the transfer of weapons, as the UN requires that seized weapons be destroyed or stored. The Biden administration has been weighing for months how to legally ship the weapons to the Ukrainians, which are stored at CENTCOM facilities across the Middle East.