US halts weapons supply; Ukraine fears increased Russian aggression
kiev
Kiev has warned that an interruption of US weapons shipments will encourage Russia to prolong the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
On Tuesday the White House said that it had cut off some weapons deliveries to Ukraine. The decision was taken 'to put America's interests first' following a Department of Defense review of US 'military support and assistance to other countries', White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement that 'any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defence capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace.'
It particularly emphasised the need for Kiev to strengthen its air defences - as Russia continues to pummel the country with missiles and drones on a near-nightly basis.
A Kiev-based US diplomat was invited to the foreign ministry for talks on Wednesday.
However, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said it had not received any official notification from the US about the 'suspension or revision' of the weapons deliveries, and urged people not to speculate on the basis of partial information.
But in a statement the defence ministry also said that the path to ending the war was 'through consistent and joint pressure on the aggressor'.
At the weekend Ukraine endured its biggest aerial attack since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, with more than 500 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles launched at its cities.
US officials did not immediately say which shipments were being halted.
According to US broadcaster NBC the weapons being delayed could include Patriot interceptors, Howitzer munitions, missiles and grenade launchers.
The US has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, leading some in the Trump administration to voice concerns that US stockpiles are too low.
The Kremlin, for its part, welcomed news of the reduction in weapons shipments, saying reducing the flow of weapons to Kiev will help end the conflict faster.
'The fewer the number of weapons that are delivered to Ukraine, the closer the end of the special military operation,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Fedir Venislavskyi, an MP for Ukraine's ruling party, said the decision was 'painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine... it's a very unpleasant situation.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
5 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,226
Here is how things stand on Friday, July 4: Fighting Russia launched a record 539 drones, 11 ballistic and cruise missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's air force. The military said its air defences shot down 270 drones while 208 more were redirected by the army or were drone simulators lacking warheads. The attacks on Kyiv injured at least 23 people, damaging railway infrastructure and setting buildings and cars on fire, authorities said. The latest overnight attack was one of the largest yet, and Russia will not stop its strikes without large-scale pressure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Russia's air defence units destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia's TASS news agency reported. Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Sergiyev Posad district near Moscow, injuring one person and leaving parts of the religiously significant centre without power, the head of the district said. Ukraine's drone attack on Russia's Rostov region killed at least one woman and forced the evacuation of dozens of people from their homes, the acting governor said. Weapons Zelenskyy said he hoped to speak with his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, about the supply of US weapons to Ukraine. In a phone call on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump did not discuss the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said. Politics and diplomacy Trump said he made no progress during his phone call with Putin, who reportedly reiterated he would stop his invasion only if the conflict's 'root causes' were tackled. Trump also said he was planning to discuss the conflict with Ukraine's Zelenskyy on Friday.
Qatar Tribune
15 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
UN conference reaffirms fight against poverty
MadridcTypeface:> The global community has agreed on intensified efforts in combating poverty, in open contradiction to the position of US President Donald Trump. The US government is sceptical of multilateral cooperation and the UN's sustainable development goals. Consequently, the United States did not endorse the 'Seville Commitment,' which was adopted by 192 countries at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in the southern Spanish metropolis on Thursday. After the start of his second term, Trump had US aid cut by around 80%, which accounts for about a quarter of all global development aid. According to estimates by the United Nations, the funding gap has now grown to at least $4 trillion annually. This gap was not nearly closed at the conference in Seville, but according to financial expert Bodo Ellmers from the non-governmental organization Global Policy Forum Europe, this was not the primary goal. Instead, he said that structural reforms in areas such as tax cooperation, debt crisis management, or reform of international financial institutions should be agreed upon. Currently, 3.4 billion people live in countries that have to spend more on interest payments than what remains for education and health. This reform project was 'only moderately successful' in Seville, Ellmers criticized, saying there are hardly any concrete measures or specific quantitative or time targets included. Whether the funding gap will continue to grow depends on the concrete implementation of the agreements. German Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan nevertheless praised the agreement as a 'powerful boost for a fairer world.' 'Despite the difficult global situation, conflicts, and nationalist tendencies, almost all states are pulling together here,' she stressed. (DPA)
Qatar Tribune
15 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Rising United States debt, dollar's worst showing since 1973 stir concerns
Agencies The U.S. economy had a different start to the year. Halfway through, the impulsive policy of President Donald Trump is also not helping to preserve the so-called 'mighty' status of the dollar, which has seen the worst performance in over five decades. Since the return of Trump to the White House, uncertainty about Washington's financial policy has caused notable concern as the U.S. debt pile continues to rise. Analysts, meanwhile, say the president's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' could add extra pressure to it in the upcoming decade. Concerns over the health of the U.S. economy and growing debt have also been visible on financial markets as U.S. bond yields have climbed – an indication that investors are worried about the sustainability of the debt of the world's top economy. Those concerns have also affected the dollar, which, as the global reserve currency, has usually been seen as a safe haven currency. Foreigners have to purchase dollars if they want to buy U.S. bonds, which have also been seen as one of the safest assets in times of volatility. However, the dollar lost more than 10% during the first half of the year – its worst performance since 1973. On Thursday, it remained close to this week's 3.5-year lows, hours ahead of a key jobs report, and as a U.S.-Vietnam trade accord fanned expectations for other potential deals ahead of July 9 when U.S. tariffs take effect. Quickly changing dynamics related to tariffs, uncertainty and unpredictability when it comes to the next moves of Trump have dented investors' confidence in the world's largest economy. Recent reports, in contrast, revealed growing interest in Europe. Data from LSEG's Lipper Funds show that more than $100 billion has flowed into European equity funds so far this year – up threefold from the same period last year – while outflows from the U.S. more than doubled to nearly $87 billion. The euro, a common currency used in 20 EU countries, also strengthened compared to the greenback in the recent period.A common explanation for the weakening of the dollar versus a basket of currencies is the impact of Trump's tariffs on the U.S. economy in the long term, coupled with the expectations that it might no longer outperform other major economies. The U.S. Treasury raises funds by issuing three types of debt instruments: short-term bills, medium-term notes and long-term bonds. They carry a face value but are sold at a discount, with that price helping determine the yield, or rate of return, for investors. Higher yields indicate investors are demanding a higher rate of return to hold U.S. debt, which can be an indication of concern over whether they will eventually be repaid. The yields on 30-year U.S. bonds rose above the symbolic level of 5.0% in May, but have since retreated to around 4.8%. 'Most of the concerns stem from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' the law supported by the White House that includes measures to prolong tax cuts brought in by Donald Trump during his first term,' said Gregoire Kounowski, an investment advisor at asset manager Norman K. 'If the text remains unchanged, it would add $3 to $4 trillion to the U.S. debt,' he bill faces a final vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday after squeaking through the Senate on Tuesday. When Moody's cut the U.S.'s top triple-A credit rating in May, it cited rising levels of government debt and the impact of the interest costs on the U.S. budget.'It was a warning signal for markets and put the trajectory of U.S. debt in the center of concerns,' said Raphael Thuin, head of capital market strategy at Tikehau Capital. U.S. debt now totals more than $36.2 trillion, according to the U.S. Treasury, or 120% of annual economic output. Around $29 trillion of that is bonds that the Treasury sells on markets to investors: principally banks, pension funds and foreign governments. Foreign governments currently own $9 trillion in U.S. debt, with Japan, Britain and China the top holders. China had until March been either the top or the second-largest holder of U.S. government debt. Since the U.S.-China trade war in 2020 during Trump's first term in office, 'China has gotten rid of U.S. debt in favour of gold. It didn't sell its bonds, but it didn't replace those that matured,' said Aurelien Buffault, an asset manager at Delubac AM. The rest of the world buys U.S. debt as they want to hold a solid dollar-denominated size of the U.S. debt market also makes it attractive to investors. 'It is about 20% larger than the European sovereign debt market in terms of capitalization,' said Guy Stear, head of developed markets research at Amundi. That makes it easier to buy and sell U.S. debt quickly. U.S. debt has until recently also benefited from being considered a 'safe haven' investment, as the U.S. government was seen as a reliable borrower. However, since April, investors have started to pass over U.S. debt and the dollar when seeking safe haven assets, noted Stear. In the current environment, 'investors are looking for alternative safe havens, that is, a currency and assets that protect them when volatility and increased uncertainty,' said Imene Rahmouni-Rousseau, director general of market operations at the European Central Bank (ECB). 'It is precisely the euro and European government bonds that have played this role of protective shield,' and 'for the first time since the 2011 financial crisis, European financial markets are considered very attractive by investors' globally, she opined.
