US halts some missile shipments to Ukraine over low stockpiles, sources say
The slowing of some weapons shipments promised to Kyiv by former President Joe Biden's administration came in recent days, they said, adding that air defense interceptors to help knock down Russian drones and projectiles are among the items delayed.
In an email, the Pentagon said it was providing President Donald Trump with options to continue military aid to Ukraine in line with the goal of ending Russia's war there.
"At the same time, the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving US forces' readiness for administration defense priorities," said Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary for policy.
Russia, which already controls about a fifth of Ukraine, continues to advance gradually, gaining ground in recent weeks in Ukraine's southeastern regions of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, and ramping up air attacks nationwide.
All weapons aid was briefly paused in February with a second longer pause in March. The Trump administration resumed sending the last of the aid approved under Biden.
No new policy has been announced.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
17 minutes ago
- CNA
Investment firm Azoria postpones Tesla ETF after Musk plans political party
Investment firm Azoria Partners said on Saturday it will postpone the listing of its Azoria Tesla Convexity exchange traded fund after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he was forming a new U.S. political party. Musk made the announcement a day after polling his followers on the X social media platform he owns, declaring, "Today the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." Azoria was set to launch the Tesla ETF, which would invest in the electric vehicle company's shares and options, next week. However, following Musk's announcement Azoria CEO James Fishback posted on X several critical comments of the new party and repeated his support for U.S. President Donald Trump. That culminated in a post where Fishback announced the postponement of the ETF. "I encourage the Board to meet immediately and ask Elon to clarify his political ambitions and evaluate whether they are compatible with his full-time obligations to Tesla as CEO," Fishback said. The announcement undermines the confidence shareholders had in Tesla's future after Musk said in May he was stepping back from his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, Fishback said. Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. The announcement from Musk comes after Trump signed his self-styled "big, beautiful" tax-cut and spending bill into law on Friday, which Musk fiercely opposed. Azoria is also offering the Azoria 500 Meritocracy ETF that only invests in the top 500 U.S. companies that do not impose hiring targets under diversity, equity and inclusion programs, according to its website.
CNA
23 minutes ago
- CNA
Japan PM says won't 'easily compromise' to Trump on tariffs
TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday (Jul 6) that he won't "easily compromise" in talks with Washington as Tokyo seeks to avert United States President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs of up to 35 per cent on Japanese goods. "We will not easily compromise. That's why it is taking time and why it is tough," Ishiba told a television talk show. His comments came as Japan rushes to negotiate with the Trump administration before the Wednesday deadline for trade deals. While Trump imposed a sweeping 10 per cent tariff on imports from most trading partners in April, he unveiled - then paused - higher rates on dozens of economies including Japan to allow room for negotiations. This pause will expire Jul 9, meaning the elevated rates are due to kick in if countries fail to reach agreements with Washington to avert them. Trump has said he was going to write a letter to Japan, asking it to "pay a 30 per cent, 35 per cent or whatever the number is that we determine," and called the bilateral trade relation "unfair". He has particularly pressed Japan to accept more US automobiles and rice. Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo's trade envoy, held telephone calls with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday and Saturday. In the Sunday television show, Ishiba reiterated that Japan, as the biggest investor nation in the US economy, should be treated differently from other countries. "What is unfair? How is it unfair? We need to examine each one (of the US claims)", he said. "We are allies, but we have to say what we have to say. We are the world's largest investor nation and the largest job creator (in the US). We are different," he said. On another Sunday television show, Ishiba said Japan was "preparing to deal with all kinds of situations", when asked about how he plans to deal with Trump's letter.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Leaders of growing BRICS group gather for Rio summit
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox RIO DE JANEIRO -Leaders of the growing BRICS group of developing nations were set to gather in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, calling for reform of traditional Western institutions while presenting the bloc as a defender of multilateralism in an increasingly fractured world. With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive "America First" approach of U.S. President Donald Trump, expansion of the BRICS has opened new space for diplomatic coordination. "In the face of the resurgence of protectionism, it is up to emerging nations to defend the multilateral trade regime and reform the international financial architecture," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told a BRICS business forum on Saturday. BRICS nations now represent over half the world's population and 40% of its economic output, Lula noted. The BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as full members. This is the first leaders' summit to include Indonesia. "The vacuum left by others ends up being filled almost instantly by the BRICS," said a Brazilian diplomat who asked not to be named. Although the G7 still concentrates vast power, the source added, "it doesn't have the predominance it once did." However, there are questions about the shared goals of an increasingly heterogenous BRICS group, which has grown to include regional rivals along with major emerging economies. Stealing some thunder from this year's summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose to send his prime minister in his place. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending online due to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Still, many heads of state will gather for discussions at Rio's Museum of Modern Art on Sunday and Monday, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Over 30 nations have expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners. GROWING CLOUT, COMPLEXITY Brazil, which also hosts the United Nations climate summit in November, has seized on both gatherings to highlight how seriously developing nations are tackling climate change, while Trump has slammed the brakes on U.S. climate initiatives. Both China and the UAE signaled in meetings with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Rio that they plan to invest in a proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions about funding conservation of endangered forests around the world. Expansion of the BRICS has added diplomatic weight to the gathering, which aspires to speak for developing nations across the Global South, strengthening calls for reforming global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council and the International Monetary Fund. The growth of the bloc has also increased the challenges to reaching consensus on contentious geopolitical issues. Ahead of the summit, negotiators struggled to find shared language for a joint statement about the bombardment of Gaza, the Israel-Iran conflict and a proposed reform of the Security Council, said two of the sources, who requested anonymity to speak openly. To overcome differences among African nations regarding the continent's proposed representative to a reformed Security Council, the group agreed to endorse seats for Brazil and India while leaving open which country should represent Africa's interests, a person familiar with the talks told Reuters. The BRICS will also continue their thinly veiled criticism of Trump's U.S. tariff policy. At an April ministerial meeting, the bloc expressed concern about "unjustified unilateral protectionist measures, including the indiscriminate increase of reciprocal tariffs." REUTERS
