The US has suspended military supplies to Ukraine because it has only 25% of the Patriot missiles needed to intercept air defense systems for the Pentagonʼs military plans.
The Guardian writes about this.
The publication notes that the decision to suspend the transfer of weapons to Ukraine was made based on internal Pentagon data: stocks of critical ammunition, in particular Patriot missiles, fell below the permissible level a few years ago — after the US began actively providing military assistance to Ukraine.
The situation escalated in June when the US launched nearly 30 Patriot missiles to intercept Iranian missiles flying towards the Al-Udeid base in Qatar.
Earlier, the media reported on the alleged initiative of Deputy Secretary Elbridge Colby, but The Guardian clarifies: the decision was made by another Deputy Secretary of Defense, Stephen Feinberg. And after that, it was supported by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
Politico previously reported that the Pentagon did not warn anyone about the suspension of aid to Ukraine. This angered even Trumpʼs allies. Moreover, according to NBC News, military aid to Ukraine was stopped despite a report that it did not threaten the combat readiness of the US military.
Stopping aid to Ukraine
Politico reported on July 2, citing sources, that the Pentagon is halting the delivery of some ammunition to Ukraine that was allocated under former US President Joe Biden. This includes missiles for Patriot air defense systems. Military aid to Ukraine has been halted despite a report that it does not threaten the combat readiness of the US army.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the decision was made “to put America’s interests first”. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had not received any official notices about the suspension or revision of the schedules of US defense assistance deliveries approved by the previous administration. The Defense Ministry requested a telephone conversation with its US counterparts to clarify the details.
The US President Donald Trump promised on July 8 to send more weapons to Ukraine. And Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell officially announced 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 involved.
- Axios, citing sources, wrote that during a recent phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump promised him to immediately send Ukraine 10 Patriot missiles and help find other ways to supply weapons. The Ukrainian president, commenting on the conversation with Trump, had previously said that they had discussed air defense, but he did not indicate whether he had managed to agree on anything with Trump.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.