The Pentagon suspended military shipments to Ukraine without warning members of Congress, State Department officials, and key European allies—all of whom should know about such a change.
The Pentagon's decision to suspend some weapons sales to Ukraine “caught by surprise” even people normally well-informed about such matters, including members of Congress and key European allies.
Politico reports this, citing six informed sources.
The publication notes that high-ranking Defense Department official Elbridge Colby exerted undue influence on the decision—it was he, along with a small circle of advisers, who initiated the shutdown.
Members of both parties in Congress were stunned. Some said lawmakers had not even been given the warning they would have had before freezing supplies that had already been approved. The massive cuts to the National Security Council effectively paralyzed the once-powerful body.
“I think this decision was made solely by the Defense Department's policy director, Colby. We don't really have a national security adviser. I'm not even sure Secretary of State Mark Rubio was aware of it. 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 more sources confirmed that the Pentagon leadership did not consult with the State Department, the US Embassy in Kyiv, or Special Representative Keith Kellogg's team before canceling the shipment of critical weapons to Poland. Some in the US Joint Chiefs of Staff also opposed the suspension.
“It was very surprising to me because this administration doesn't communicate with us at all,” said Democratic Congressman Adam Smith.
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a member of the Intelligence Committee, sent Trump a request for an urgent briefing from the White House and the Defense Department on the pause in military aid.
At the same time, the White House and the State Department rejected the assertion that this pause came as a surprise.
What came before
Washington has suspended arms deliveries to the Defense Forces , adding to Kiev's worries as enemy attacks mount. Among other things, the defenders are not receiving air defense missiles, which will directly affect their ability to repel shelling.
The Pentagon, however, said it was not about cutting off aid to Ukraine entirely, and that Trump would be offered options for extending military aid that would meet his goals of ending the war.
“The Department of Defense continues to provide the president with credible military assistance options for Ukraine that are consistent with his goal of ending this tragic war,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters.
He explained that the Defense Department is conducting a review of capabilities to ensure that U.S. military assistance meets the Trump administration's priorities.
The WSJ believes that the US refusal to supply Ukraine with critical Patriot interceptor missiles is a “devastating blow” to Ukrainians' attempts to defend themselves against increasingly deadly and powerful Russian attacks.
It took place at an extremely unfortunate time for Ukraine. Even before this decision was made, Kyiv was barely able to resist Russian technology, tactics and troop numbers, the publication notes.
Russia has already deployed maneuverable ballistic missiles capable of evading Patriot radars and is launching record numbers of drones. The suspension of interceptor deliveries from the US will increase the pressure on Ukraine even more, the WSJ points out.
