WashingtonA setback for Ukraine as it attempts to repel Russia’s growing onslaught, officials announced Tuesday that the U.S. is stopping some shipments of weapons to Ukraine due to worries that its own stockpiles have decreased too much.
Under the Biden administration, Ukraine had already been promised specific ammunition to support its defenses in the conflict, which has been going on for more than three years. Following an examination of current U.S. stockpiles and concerns expressed by Defense Department officials, the delay reflects a new set of goals under President Donald Trump.
According to a statement from White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, this decision was made to prioritize America’s interests after an assessment of our country’s military support and assistance to other nations worldwide. Ask Iran to prove that the US military is still unquestionably strong.
Trump recently ordered U.S. missile strikes against nuclear targets in Iran, which was the subject of that reference.
According to an official, the Pentagon’s stock of some weapons is limited.
According to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not yet made public, the Pentagon investigation found that supplies were too low on some weapons that had previously been pledged, therefore pending shipments of such goods won’t be shipped.
The specific weapons being held back were not disclosed by the Defense Department.
According to spokesperson Sean Parnell, America’s military has never been more prepared and capable. He also stated that the significant tax cut and budget plan currently pending in Congress guarantees that our defense systems and weaponry are updated to fend off challenges in the twenty-first century for future generations.
Russia has lately conducted some of its largest aircraft raids of the war in an intensifying bombing campaign that has further shattered hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts supported by Trump, so the U.S. decision to suspend some weaponry is a blow to Ukraine. The parties’ discussions have come to a standstill.
Politico was the first to report on the U.S. suspension.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has given Ukraine more over $66 billion in military aid and equipment.
The United States has consistently demanded that allies give Ukraine air defense equipment throughout the conflict. However, many are hesitant to relinquish the advanced systems, especially Eastern European nations that also perceive Russia as a threat.
According to Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary for policy in the Defense Department, authorities are still giving the president strong choices for extending military assistance to Ukraine, which is in line with his objective of ending this terrible conflict.
In order to accomplish this goal and maintain U.S. forces’ preparedness for Administration defense priorities, the Pentagon is simultaneously closely reviewing and modifying its strategy, Colby said in a statement.
During his meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week on the margins of the NATO summit, Trump acknowledged that the Ukrainian cause would benefit from the transfer of more American-made Patriot air defense missile systems to Kyiv.
Trump stated at the time that they do want the Patriots, as they are known, to have antimissile missiles. Additionally, we will try to make some available. We also require them. They are 100% effective, and we are supplying them to Israel. How effective is hard to believe. That is what they desire above anything else.
The Trump administration’s perspective on military assistance to Ukraine has changed.
Those remarks alluded to the possibility of arming Ukraine, a notion that has started to shift within the administration in recent months.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before legislators in June that he has acted swiftly to halt inefficient initiatives and reallocate funds to Trump’s primary goals.
Even though Moscow is the aggressor in the crisis, Hegseth claimed that a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine—which Trump has been pushing for months—makes America appear powerful. He added that the defense budget reflects the fact that Europe must do more to defend its own continent and includes difficult decisions. And the credit for that should go to President Trump.
Last month, without giving specifics, the defense secretary informed legislators that some U.S. security spending for Ukraine was still planned. However, he stated that the help that has been strong for the last two years would be lessened.
According to Hegseth, this administration views that conflict very differently. We think that both parties and the interests of our country are best served by a peaceful, negotiated resolution.
The move follows Hegseth’s absence from a meeting last month of an international committee the United States established three years ago to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine. The group was founded by Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Hegseth’s absence marked the first time the US defense secretary did not participate.
Austin led the United States as the group’s chair, and he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff participated in monthly sessions via video and in person.
Prior to leaving the group entirely, Hegseth had relinquished his position as leader of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, handing it over to Germany and the United Kingdom.
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This article was written by David Klepper of the Associated Press.
