Politico: Pentagon didnʼt warn anyone about cutting aid to Ukraine. This angered even Trumpʼs allies

The Pentagon has suspended military shipments to Ukraine without notifying members of Congress, State Department officials, and key European allies — all of whom should be aware of the changes. The decision has caused concern and anger even among top Republicans.

Politico reports this, citing six informed sources.

The publication notes that senior Defense Department official Elbridge Colby had excessive influence on this decision — it was he, together with a narrow circle of advisors, who initiated the stoppage.

Members of Congress from both parties were stunned. Some said lawmakers were not even notified, even though they should have been before freezing already approved supplies. Even allies of Donald Trump were disappointed, accusing Colby of pushing through the decision without coordinating with the administration and other officials. All this came at a time when significant cuts to the National Security Council had effectively paralyzed the once-powerful agency.

"I think this decision was made solely by the Director of Defense Policy Colby. We donʼt actually have a national security adviser. Iʼm not even sure [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio was aware. There are internal divisions in the White House," said Republican Congressman Michael McCaul.

Another US official said the Defense Department did not coordinate the decision with the State Department. Two other sources confirmed that Pentagon officials did not consult with the State Department, the US Embassy in Kyiv, or Special Representative Keith Kelloggʼs team before canceling the shipment of critical weapons already in Poland. Some on the US Joint Chiefs of Staff also opposed the suspension.

"It was very unexpected for me, because this administration is not communicating with us at all," said Democratic Congressman Adam Smith.

At the same time, the White House and the State Department rejected claims that this pause came as a surprise.

"This is not true. The President and senior officials expect the Department of Defense to regularly review aid allocations to ensure they are consistent with America First," a White House spokesman said.

The official did not specify when exactly the president and his advisers learned of the suspension, saying only that it happened before Politico first reported it.

Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a member of the Intelligence Committee, sent Trump a request for an urgent briefing from the White House and the Department of Defense regarding the pause in military aid.

However, there are also those officials who approve of the decision to suspend arms supplies to Ukraine. For example, House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Cole, a Republican, said that he learned about it from the news, but has no comments at this time.

"I see no reason to doubt the version that the US reserves are running out. We spent much more than we thought six months ago, especially after the escalation in the Middle East. We have real problems with the defense industry. The president should first of all take care of the US defense," the official says.

Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has a similar position. He was initially unaware of the delay, but later called it “a normal pause to assess stockpiles” after recent operations in the Middle East. At the same time, he stressed that the Pentagon should publicly explain the situation.

"They need to be more transparent, because right now everyone is confusing this with a refusal to support Ukraine. And thatʼs not the case at all," Rogers noted.

Colby himself declined to comment. In a statement released by a White House spokesman, Colby said the Department of Defense “continues to provide the president with every opportunity to support military assistance to Ukraine”, while “carefully evaluating and adapting our approach while maintaining the readiness of US forces”. He called the media report “an attempt to create an illusion of division where none exists”.

• Politico reported on July 2, citing sources, that the Pentagon is halting the delivery of some munitions to Ukraine that were allocated under former US President Joe Biden. These include Patriot air defense missiles, precision artillery shells, Hellfire missiles and others that Ukraine launches from F-16 fighter jets and drones. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the decision was made “to put America’s interests first after the Department of Defense reviewed our military support and assistance to other countries around the world”.
• The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine had not received any official notifications about the suspension or revision of the schedules of defense aid deliveries from the United States, approved under the previous administration. The Ministry of Defense requested a telephone conversation with its US counterparts to clarify the details.

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