Pentagon stops US weapons to go to Ukraine
(MENAFN) The Pentagon has paused the delivery of various U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine, as reported by several media outlets. This decision reportedly stems from a recent internal audit of American military supplies initiated by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, following increased concerns about the rapid depletion of ammunition and missile reserves.
According to the reports, the suspension affects a broad range of military hardware previously promised to Ukraine. These include dozens of Patriot missile interceptors, Stinger and AIM air-to-air missiles, hundreds of Hellfire and GMLRS systems, as well as thousands of 155mm artillery shells. Some of these arms, which had already been positioned in Europe, were withheld before they could be transferred to Ukrainian forces.
The halted equipment had been financed through two major funding routes established under the Biden administration: direct withdrawals from U.S. military stockpiles and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which funds contracts for new weapons production. No additional aid packages for Ukraine have been requested by the Trump administration so far, and current resources are only projected to sustain support for "several more months," as noted by reports.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly defended the suspension as necessary to safeguard national security interests. “This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe. The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned – just ask Iran,” she said, without offering specific details.
The choice to delay or freeze aid without formally notifying Congress may stir legal debates, drawing parallels to a 2019 incident under Trump’s previous administration when the Government Accountability Office ruled a similar move illegal.
Ukrainian officials have expressed increasing disappointment over what they perceive as declining American backing. President Vladimir Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump at last week’s NATO summit in The Hague but left without any solid commitments. Trump remarked that Patriots were “very hard to get” and emphasized that the U.S. needed them for its own security and to support Israel.
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