The Pentagon has temporarily halted the transfer of some air defense weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot interceptors, GMLRS missiles and other critical systems.
This was reported by Politico and NBC News, citing informed sources.
Pentagon suspends supplies of some types of weapons to Ukraine
The decision was made by the head of the Pentagon's political division, Elbridge Colby, after an inspection of US defense stockpiles.
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According to media reports, this has raised concerns about a critical reduction in the number of artillery ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles and high-precision weapons.
According to sources, the initial agreement to temporarily suspend some of the defense aid announced by the Biden administration was reached in early June.
However, this has only really come to fruition now – at a time when Ukraine is confronting massive drone and missile attacks, particularly on Kyiv and other cities.
Politico notes that the sources provided the information on condition of anonymity, since the Pentagon and the White House did not comment on these requests from journalists.
The suspension of some supplies has already raised concerns among US lawmakers who support Ukraine.
In particular, according to NBC News, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth issued an order to suspend the supply of certain types of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv.
This delay will continue until the U.S. Army's internal needs review is completed.
If the review reveals that certain types of weapons are critically needed to defend other regions, the pause may be extended.
The temporarily held weapons include dozens of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, thousands of 155mm artillery shells, over 100 Hellfire guided missiles, over 250 GMLRS precision-guided munitions, and dozens of Stinger man-portable air-to-air missiles.
“This decision was made to put America's interests first after a review by the Departments of National Support and our nation's assistance to other countries around the world. The strength of the United States military remains uninterrupted – just ask Iran,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.
In late June, US President Donald Trump said he would look into providing Ukraine with additional Patriot systems, but stressed that America itself needed such equipment.
