US officials downplay pause in aid to Ukraine
Ukrainian servicemen loading a shell into a howitzer as they fire towards Russian troops, at a front line position in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, on June 16.
WASHINGTON - US officials on July 2 downplayed a White House announcement that Washington was pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine, saying President Donald Trump still has 'robust' options for military assistance to Kyiv.
Ukraine is contending with some of Russia's largest missile and drone attacks of the three-year war, and
a halt to the provision of munitions – especially for air defence – would be a significant blow to Kyiv.
'The Department of Defence continues to provide the president with robust options regarding military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end,' Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told journalists.
'The department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach towards achieving this objective while also preserving US military readiness and defence priorities,' he said.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, meanwhile, told reporters that 'this is not a cessation of us assisting Ukraine or of providing weapons. This is one event, and one situation, and we'll discuss what else comes up in the future.'
'The president has also indicated his remaining commitment regarding Patriot missiles,' Ms Bruce said, referring to an air defence system that has played a key role in defending against Russian attacks.
Under former president Joe Biden, Washington committed to providing more than US$65 billion (S$80 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine, which was hit with a full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
But Mr Trump – long sceptical of assistance for Ukraine – has not followed suit, announcing no new military aid for Kyiv since he took office in January of this year. AFP
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