Donald Trump freezes military aid to Ukraine amid increased Russian missile strikes
The White House confirmed a Politico report on the stoppage, which said the move came after a review of US munitions stockpiles and amid concerns they had fallen too low. Among the weapons that are being paused are 155mm artillery shells, Stinger shoulder-fired missiles, Patriot air-defense batteries and Hellfire missiles, PBS Newshour's Nick Schifrin reported.
'This decision was made to put America's interests first following a DOD review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,' White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in an emailed statement confirming the report. 'The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran.'
The decision comes as Ukraine struggles to repel large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes across the country. On Sunday, Ukraine said Russia fired a record 537 missiles and drones in 'massive' overnight attacks. Russia has intensified its attacks in recent weeks as President Vladimir Putin defies US and European calls to accept a ceasefire to allow for peace talks.
US President Donald Trump said only last week that he'd look at sending more Patriots to Ukraine following 'a good' meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of a NATO summit in The Hague, where allies pledged to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP and cited the security threat from Russia.
The move was spearheaded by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, Politico said. Colby has long argued that the US is overextended abroad militarily, and has joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in repeatedly saying that European allies should assume greater responsibility for the continent's security, including the defense of Ukraine.
In a statement, Colby said the Pentagon 'continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end.'
'At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces' readiness for Administration defense priorities,' he said.
The Biden administration used two methods to send weapons to Kyiv, relying on drawdowns of equipment from US stockpiles in the short term and allocating money to purchase new equipment.
While the US has billions of dollars in congressional funding left over from the Biden administration to supply Ukraine with weapons, those could take years to manufacture and deliver. Trump has previously signaled he'd be willing to cut support, and he hasn't sought more money from lawmakers.
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