logo
US curbs weapons shipments to Ukraine, reportedly due to stockpile shortages

US curbs weapons shipments to Ukraine, reportedly due to stockpile shortages

NHK20 hours ago
The administration of President Donald Trump has confirmed that the US has halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine. Media report that a decline in weapons stockpiles is behind the decision.
A White House spokesperson told NHK on Monday that the "decision was made to put America's interests first" following the Defense Department's review of US military support and assistance to other countries.
However, details such as the types and amounts of the weapons involved were not disclosed.
The suspension comes after Trump indicated in late June that the US may provide Ukraine with additional Patriot air defense systems.
US media say the decision was made due to a decline in the US military's stockpiles, including artillery rounds and missiles, as it responds to developments in the Middle East and other issues.
The decision was reportedly driven by the Pentagon's undersecretary for policy, Elbridge Colby. He previously suggested that the US should scale back its engagement in Ukraine to prioritize its response to China.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US strikes deal with Vietnam before trade deadline
US strikes deal with Vietnam before trade deadline

NHK

time29 minutes ago

  • NHK

US strikes deal with Vietnam before trade deadline

US President Donald Trump has announced a trade deal with Vietnam, days before a pause on what Trump calls "reciprocal tariffs" will expire. Other trading partners are also racing to secure agreements before the June 9th deadline. Trump unveiled the terms on social media on Wednesday. He said the Southeast Asian country is willing to open its market in a way it has "never done before." He said all Vietnamese goods will face a 20 percent levy. It remains unclear if the earlier 10 percent global tariff is included in that figure. But the rate is much lower than a total of 46 percent the country faced in April. He also warned he will tax goods from other countries transited through Vietnam at 40 percent. US Media report the move is aimed at cracking down on Chinese products being routed through the country. In return, he said Vietnam has agreed to give the US "total access" to its markets, and lower tariffs on American goods. According to data from US Department of Commerce, Vietnam has the fourth-largest trade deficit with the US, right behind Mexico, the European Union and China. With the deadline closing in, the UK remains the only country that has officially signed an agreement. Washington is still negotiating with China, and the Financial Times reports that India may clinch a provisional trade agreement as soon as this week. Trump has also been ramping up the pressure on Tokyo. He said he is frustrated with the status of negotiations and has threatened to slap a rate as high as 30 to 35 percent on Japan.

President Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam that will let US goods into the country duty-free
President Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam that will let US goods into the country duty-free

The Mainichi

time33 minutes ago

  • The Mainichi

President Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam that will let US goods into the country duty-free

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Vietnam Wednesday that would allow U.S. goods to enter the country duty-free. Vietnamese exports to the United States, by contrast, would face a 20% levy. On his Truth Social platform, Trump declared the pact "a Great Deal of Cooperation between our two Countries.'' In April, Trump announced a 46% tax on Vietnamese imports -- one of his so-called reciprocal tariffs targeting dozens of countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. Trump promptly suspended the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days to allow for negotiations like the one with Vietnam. The pause expires Tuesday, but so far the Trump administration has reached a trade agreement with only one of those countries -- the United Kingdom. (Trump has also reached a "framework'' agreement with China in a separate trade dispute.) "Vietnam has been very keen to get out from under this,'' said Mary Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "This is forcing a smaller country to eat it, basically. We can do that. It's the big countries that everybody's keeping their eyes on.'' She doubts that Trump will be able to impose such a lopsided agreement on big trading partners such as the European Union and Japan. The United States last year ran a $122 billion trade deficit with Vietnam. That was the third-biggest U.S. trade gap -- the difference between the goods and services it buys from other countries and those it sells them -- behind the ones with China and Mexico. In addition to the 20% tariffs, Trump said the U.S. would impose a 40% tax on "transshipping'' -- goods from another country that stop in Vietnam on their way to the United States. Washington complains that Chinese goods have been dodging higher U.S. tariffs by transiting through Vietnam. William Reinsch, a former U.S. trade official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the significance of the transshipment crackdown will depend on "how the term is defined and enforced. Some transshipment is outright fraud -- simply changing the label; some is a legitimate substantial transformation in Vietnam into a new product; and there is a lot in between. Enforcement is always complicated.'' A February study in the Harvard Business Review found that there was "much less rerouting than previously believed.'' In May, Vietnam approved a $1.5 billion project by the Trump Organization and a local partner to build a massive golf resort complex near Hanoi, covering an area roughly the size of 336 football fields. Vietnam was a beneficiary of American efforts to counter China's influence. Companies looking to diversify their supply chains away from China flocked to Vietnam. In 2023, it became the only country to host both President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on state visits. That year, the U.S. upgraded Vietnam to its highest diplomatic status--comprehensive strategic partner--placing it on par with China and Russia.

Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce on the weakness
Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce on the weakness

Japan Today

time3 hours ago

  • Japan Today

Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce on the weakness

FILE - President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House, March 11, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP, File) By BERNARD CONDON Sales of Tesla electric cars fell sharply in the last three months as boycotts over Elon Musk's political views continue to keep buyers away, a significant development given expectations that anger with the company's billionaire CEO would have faded by now. The 13% sales plunge over a year earlier suggests Musk's embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump and far-right politicians in Europe has had a deep and enduring impact on Tesla's brand appeal. The new figures reported by Tesla on Wednesday also show rival electric-vehicle makers have wasted no time pouncing on the company's weakness to steal market share, and signals Tesla's quarterly earnings report later this month could also disappoint. Sales fell to 384,122 in April through June, down from 443,956 in the same three months last year. During the latest period, Musk formally left the Trump administration as a cost-cutting czar, and hopes rose that sales would recover. Musk himself recently said that Tesla was in the midst of a 'major rebound' in sales. Still, some parts of the report were encouraging. Sales of the Models 3 and Y totaled 373,728, above the estimate of 356,000 from Wall Street analysts. Tesla shares rose 4.6% in afternoon trading. 'The numbers weren't as bad as thought with all the analyst forecast cuts we saw over the past week,' said Morningstar's Seth Goldstein, though he added the report overall showed the company faces big challenges. 'The current product lineup is at market saturation and Tesla will need the new affordable vehicle to grow deliveries.' Musk has promised a cheaper EV model would be coming this year that would boost sales. It's not clear yet if Musk's latest feud with Trump will help lure back buyers who have been angry at the billionaire's political positions. After Musk once again took to social media to criticize Trump's budget bill, the president threatened Tuesday to use the power of his office to hurt his companies, including Tesla, pushing its stock down more than 5%. The new figures come as Tesla is focusing less on new models and more on robots, self-driving technology and robotaxis ferrying passengers around without anyone behind the wheel. Tesla is in the midst of a test run of robotaxis in Austin, Texas, that seems to have gone smoothly for the most part. But it also has drawn the scrutiny of federal car safety regulators because of a few mishaps, including one case in which a Tesla cab was shown on a video heading down an opposing lane. The competition from rival EV makers is especially fierce in Europe where China's BYD has taken a bite out of its market share. Tesla sales fell 28% in May in 30 European countries even as the overall market for electric vehicles expanded sharply, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. Musk has acknowledged that his work as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and his embrace of European far-right candidates have hurt the company. But he attributed much of the sales plunge to customers holding off while they waited for new versions of Tesla's best selling Model Y. Tesla reports second quarter financial results on July 23. In the first quarter, net income fell 71%. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store