US halts all military shipments to Ukraine
The decision reportedly followed an internal review of American weapons reserves ordered by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Politico and NBC News. The initial reports suggested that the decision would stop the supply of Patriot missile interceptors, Stinger and AIM air-to-air missiles, hundreds of Hellfire and GMLRS systems, and thousands of 155mm artillery shells.
According to The Economist, the suspension of military aid was actually total. 'Ukrainian officials say that, in fact, all shipments of American weapons, including shells and spare parts, have been halted,' the outlet said on Wednesday, adding that the US officials have denied that.
Washington's envoy to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, told Fox News on Wednesday that the decision to halt certain aid was made as part of the 'America first' policy, aimed at ensuring Washington's own 'strategic defense capabilities.'
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that 'we can't give weapons to everybody all around the world. We have to look out for America and defending our homeland and our troops around the world.' Neither official provided details about exactly which shipments were suspended.
The move could be part of a bigger plan to end US support for Kiev altogether, The Economist suggested. No money for Ukraine was included in the 'big beautiful' budget bill promoted by President Donald Trump, the article pointed out. Funding allocated to support Kiev within the regular Pentagon budget 'would be cut further under the budget request for fiscal year 2026,' the outlet said, citing officials.
US support for Ukraine has come mostly in two forms: Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allowed Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, to send weapons to the country out of the Pentagon's stocks, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), under which Washington ordered arms from manufacturers.
Trump has made no use of PDA since coming to office in January. The weapons orders made by the previous administration under the USAI would continue US shipments to Ukraine until late 2028, according to The Economist. The magazine asserts that these supplies could now be 'interrupted.'
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