The Pentagon has suspended the transfer of military aid to Ukraine, despite an analysis indicating that this aid package does not pose a threat to the combat readiness of the US military.
NBC News reports this, citing sources.
The decision to suspend the supplies was made personally by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, three congressional aides and a former US government official said. This is the third time he has single-handedly blocked aid to Ukraine — the previous two were in February and May, when they were canceled within days.
Sources say that behind Hegseth’s decisions is a senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for political affairs. Colby has long advocated reducing American support for Ukraine and refocusing resources on the Pacific region to counter China.
Members of Congress from both parties are outraged that they were not informed in advance and are now examining whether the delay violated the lawʼs requirements for providing aid to Ukraine. European allies are also trying to find out the real reason for the suspension and have it lifted.
The White House said the suspension was part of a broader review of aid to allies that the Pentagon began last month. The review began after Hegseth issued a memo asking the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to conduct an assessment of all munitions stocks. According to three officials, the review found that stocks of some precision-guided munitions had indeed declined, but not to critical levels.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that further assistance to Ukraine would not threaten US combat capability, the sources said.
What preceded
Politico reported on July 2, citing sources, that the Pentagon is halting the supply of some ammunition to Ukraine that was allocated under former US President Joe Biden. These include Patriot air defense missiles, precision artillery shells, Hellfire missiles, precision GMLRS systems, grenade launchers, Stinger portable anti-aircraft systems, and AIM air-to-air missiles.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the decision was made “to put America’s interests first after the Defense Department reviewed our military support and assistance to other countries around the world”.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had not received any official notices about the suspension or revision of the schedules of defense assistance deliveries from the United States, approved by the previous administration. The Defense Ministry requested a telephone conversation with its US counterparts to clarify the details.
As Politico journalists found out, the Pentagon did not warn anyone about the suspension of aid to Ukraine. This angered even Trumpʼs allies.
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