The US President Donald Trump has promised to send more weapons to Ukraine, a statement he made after suspending military aid.
He said this before dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We’re going to send more weapons. They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re being hit very hard. We’re going to have to send more weapons. Defensive weapons first of all. So many people are dying in this mess,” the US president said.
In addition, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell officially reported the sending of “additional defensive weapons to Ukraine so that the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to ensure a lasting peace and stop the killing”. He did not specify what weapons were in question.
Meanwhile, Politico sources say that US aid, which was previously suspended, could be resumed after a series of high-level meetings this week and next week.
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, GMLRS precision systems, grenade launchers, Stinger man-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 Department of Defense 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 the US defense assistance deliveries approved by the previous administration. The Defense Ministry has 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. Moreover, military aid to Ukraine was stopped despite a report that it did not threaten the combat readiness of the US military.
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