U.S. stops some arms shipments to Ukraine as Kyiv expresses disappointment
Those plans come at what appears to be a key point in the all-out war launched by Moscow nearly three-and-a-half years ago. A renewed Russian push to capture more Ukrainian land has put Ukraine's short-handed defenses under severe strain, and Russian missiles and drones are battering Ukrainian cities. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to find a peace settlement, meanwhile, have stalled.
As Washington has distanced itself under U.S. President Donald Trump from Ukraine's war efforts, a bigger onus has fallen on European countries to pressure Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday held their first direct telephone call in almost three years. Macron's office said that during their two-hour conversation, the French leader underlined France's 'unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity' and called for a ceasefire.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that officials are preparing with a sense of urgency for upcoming meetings with European Union countries and other partners to talk about cooperation in weapons manufacturing.
'One of the key topics will be weapons production – our joint investments, joint projects,' Zelenskyy said in his daily address on Tuesday evening.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that draft legislation on joint weapons production with international allies is expected to be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month. The proposed laws were shown to national defense companies on Tuesday, Umerov said.
1:46
Trump says Putin 'has to end' Russia-Ukraine war
The program includes plans to create a special legal and tax framework to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers scale up and modernize production, including building new facilities at home and abroad, according to Umerov.
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Earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Kyiv that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly. He was accompanied on the trip by German defense industry representatives.
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The U.S. is halting some weapons deliveries to Ukraine out of concern that its own stockpiles have declined too far, officials said Tuesday. Certain munitions were longer-term commitments promised to Ukraine under the Biden administration, though the Defense Department didn't provide details on what specific weapons were being held back.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. chargé d'affaires, John Hinkel, on Wednesday to discuss ongoing defense cooperation.
Deputy Foreign Minister Maryana Betsa thanked the U.S. for its continued support, but emphasized the 'critical importance' of maintaining previously allocated defense packages, especially for bolstering Ukraine's air defense.
Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Ukrainian parliament's national security and defense committee, called the decision to halt the shipments 'very unpleasant for us.'
'It's painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine, it's a very unpleasant situation,' he told reporters in Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Pentagon's decision will help bring a settlement closer, because 'the fewer weapons supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the (war) is.'
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3:02
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The United States has been Ukraine's biggest military backer since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022. Under Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine.
Between March and April, the United States allocated no new aid to Ukraine, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support.
For the first time since June 2022, European countries surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totaling 72 billion euros ($85 billion) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the U.S., the institute said last month.
Washington's latest decision could remove some of the most formidable weapons in Ukraine's battlefield arsenal.
Analysts say Ukraine's European allies can fill some of the gaps and provide artillery systems. But they don't possess alternatives to the U.S.-made HIMARS missiles and air defense systems, especially Patriots, which are crucial to help defend Ukrainian cities from Russian air attacks.
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It's not clear how much weaponry Ukraine possesses or what its most urgent needs are.
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Winnipeg Free Press
41 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
How Ukraine can cope with the US pause on crucial battlefield weapons
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The decision by the United States to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine has come at a tough time for Kyiv: Russia's bigger army is making a concerted push on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and is intensifying long-range drone and missile attacks that increasingly hammer civilians in Ukrainian cities. Washington has been Ukraine's biggest military backer since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022. But the Trump administration has been disengaging from the war, and no end to the fighting is in sight, despite recent direct peace talks. Here's a look at Ukraine's options following the U.S. pause of some arms deliveries: Specific weapons needed from U.S. Amid recurring concerns in Kyiv about how much military support its allies can supply and how quickly, Ukraine has raced to build up its domestic defense industry. The country's output has gradually grown, especially in the production of more and increasingly sophisticated drones, but Ukraine needs to speedily scale up production. Crucially, some high-tech U.S. weapons are irreplaceable. They include Patriot air defense missiles, which are needed to fend off Russia's frequent ballistic missile attacks, but which cost $4 million each. That vital system is included in the pause, and many cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, could become increasingly vulnerable. A senior Ukrainian official said Thursday that Patriot systems are 'critically necessary' for Ukraine, but U.S.-made HIMARS precision-guided missiles, also paused, are in less urgent need as other countries produce similar assets. 'Other countries that have these (Patriot) systems can only transfer them with U.S. approval. The real question now is how far the United States is willing to go in its reluctance to support Ukraine,' he told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of sensitivity of the subject. The official said that Patriot missiles exist in sufficient numbers globally, and he said that accessing them requires political resolve. 'There are enough missiles out there,' he said, without providing evidence. He also stated that Ukraine has already scaled up its domestic production of 155 mm artillery shells, which were once critically short, and is now capable of producing more than is currently contracted. 'Supplies from abroad have also become more available than before,' he said. Backup plan Amid at times fraught relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been enlisting greater European help for his country's arms manufacturing plans. European countries don't have the production levels, military stockpiles or the technology to pick up all the slack left by the U.S. pause, but Zelenskyy is recruiting their help for ambitious joint investment projects. Draft legislation to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers scale up and modernize production, including building new facilities at home and abroad, will be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced this week. Zelenskyy said last month that major investments will go to the production of drones and artillery shells. 'The volume of support this year is the largest since the start of the full-scale war,' he said about commitments from foreign countries. Under Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Between March and April, the United States allocated no new help at all, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support. For the first time since June 2022, four months after Russia's full-scale invasion, European countries have surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totaling 72 billion euros ($85 billion) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the U.S., the institute said last month. Big battlefield problem Without Patriot missiles, as well as the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile and shorter-range Stinger missiles that are also included in the pause, Ukrainian cities likely will take a bashing as more Russian missiles pierce air defenses. On the front line, Ukrainian troops haven't recently voiced complaints about ammunition shortages, as they have in the past. They have always said that during the war, they have never had as much ammunition to as their disposal as Russian forces. The army faces a different problem: It's desperately short-handed. It's turning to drones to compensate for its manpower shortage, and analysts say the front isn't about to collapse. Asked about the timing of the U.S. pause, the Ukrainian official emphasized the need for stable, reliable supply lines. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'This is war — and in war, steady deliveries are always crucial,' he said. ___ Barry Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at
National Observer
43 minutes ago
- National Observer
Quebec language watchdog says it's OK to use 'go' to support sports teams
Quebec's language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it's acceptable to use the word "go" to cheer on sports teams. In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office québécois de la langue française says that while "allez" is the preferred term, it's now 'partially legitimized' to use the English word to show encouragement. The flip-flop comes after the office took a hard line with Montreal's transit agency, pressing it for months in 2024 to scrub the word "go" from the electronic signs on more than 1,000 city buses. The watchdog confirmed it had changed its position after The Canadian Press obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use 'go' in June. The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens' first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced 'Go! Canadiens Go!' with 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' to stay on the watchdog's good side. The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression 'Go Habs Go' is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed. That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert. Quebec language watchdog now says it's OK to use 'go' to support sports teams. #Polqc 'The office had to respond to a political order,' said Benoît Melançon, emeritus professor of French literature at Université de Montréal. 'The minister said, 'You will accept this,' so the office had to find a way to accept it.' The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word 'go' back on its bus displays. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the agency is now 'beginning its reflection on the subject.' In an April statement, Dominique Malack, the president of the language office, agreed that the slogan 'Go Habs Go' is anchored in Quebec's history. Still, she went on to say that the word 'go' is an anglicism, and that public bodies have an obligation to use 'exemplary' French, which includes using only French words in their signage. Emails released to The Canadian Press show the transit agency asked the watchdog in May, following the uproar, for authorization to start using 'go' again. A month later, on June 6, the language office directed transit officials to its new entry for the word 'allez' in its online dictionary of terminology, a reference guide for the proper use of French in Quebec. The page notes how the anglicism 'go' has been used in Quebec since at least the 1980s and is 'well-established' in common parlance. 'It is considered to be partially legitimized,' the entry says. 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If we don't take it into account, what are the consequences? If we do, how do we justify changing our minds?'' At least one transit agency official felt dubious about the original complaint, which related to a bus displaying the words 'Go! CF Mtl Go!' in support of Montreal's professional soccer club. She called the issue a 'grey zone' in a June 2024 email to colleagues. 'We've been using the word 'go' for years without a problem,' she wrote. 'Are we going to change everything because of one complaint?' But by later that month, the agency had decided to scrap the word, which involved manually updating the display on each of more than 1,000 buses over a period of months. The agency has said no further change will be made before the buses undergo regular maintenance in the fall. The language office has received at least two other complaints about the word 'go' in the last five years, according to a response to a separate access-to-information request. In 2023, someone complained about the slogan 'Go Habs Go' appearing on an outdoor billboard. That complaint was dismissed because the expression is a trademark. A similar complaint in 2021 targeted the hashtag #GoHabsGo that appears in oversized letters outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, the home arena of the Canadiens. The person who filed the complaint suggested that to comply with Quebec's language rules, the expression 'Allez les Habitants allez' should appear alongside the English slogan, in larger letters. 'And yes, I'm serious, if the law applies, then apply it! :)' the person wrote. According to the language watchdog, that complaint was resolved following an intervention, though it provided no details. A spokesperson for the hockey team declined to comment. The #GoHabsGo sign remains in place.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Canada's trade deficit in May narrows, exports to U.S. drop
A refinery is seen in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, June 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck OTTAWA -- Canada's trade deficit in May met expectations and narrowed after a record breaking deficit in April, data showed on Thursday, as total exports rose and imports fell even as the impact of the U.S. tariffs dented shipments south of the border. The trade deficit in May was at $5.9 billion, down from a downwardly revised $7.6 billion in the prior month, Statistics Canada said, led by a 1.1% increase in exports on a monthly basis which followed a 11% slump in April. This was the first increase in exports in four months, StatCan said, and was driven by record exports to the rest of the world, excluding the U.S. Exports and imports to the U.S. dropped to their lowest levels in May, barring the pandemic year of 2020. Exports to the U.S., the destination for three quarters of Canada's outbound shipments, fell for the fourth month in a row with May registering a drop of 0.9%. In volume terms total exports were up 0.7% in May. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on imports of Canada-made automobiles and 50% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from the north of the border. Canada has also imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. This trade skirmish between the two countries whose bilateral trade surpassed a trillion dollars last year has depleted Canada's exports and has hit the job market. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump have agreed to reach some form of a trade deal by July 21. Canada's total exports for May were at $60.81 billion, up from $60.12 billion in April, led by exports of metallic and non-metallic mineral products, StatCan said. This category increased by 15.1% and was driven by mainly exports of unwrought gold which posted an increase of 30.1% to reach a record $5.9 billion. 'Most of the rise was attributable to higher physical shipments of gold to the United Kingdom,' the statistics agency said. Excluding metal and non-metallic mineral products, total exports were down 1.2%, it added. As trade with the U.S. has dropped, Canadian companies have been scouting for opportunities to increase trade with rest of the world. Exports to countries other than the United States rose 5.7% in May to reach a record high, StatCan said, but it was not enough to mitigate the impact of loss of exports to the U.S., as well as China due to a drop in canola and crude oil shipments. Total imports dropped by 1.6% to $66.66 billion, with imports from the U.S. falling by 1.2% in May. The Canadian dollar slightly weakened after the trade data and was trading down 0.23% to 1.3615 to the U.S. dollar. Yields on the two-year government bonds were up 3.7 basis points to 2.706%. Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Dale Smith and Nick Zieminski, Reuters
