Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
What happened
Kyiv Wednesday said it was seeking clarification about the Trump administration's surprise decision to halt shipments of air-defense missiles and other weapons approved for delivery to Ukraine. The Defense Department acknowledged the canceled arms deliveries on Tuesday and said Wednesday the suspension was part of a global review of where the Pentagon is sending its limited supplies of munitions.
Who said what
The move to halt Ukraine weapons shipments was "driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby" without any evident consultation with Congress or other parts of the administration, Politico said, and it "blindsided even people who are usually closely briefed on such matters." The withheld munitions include Patriot air defense missiles, "precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds," The Associated Press said, "some of the most formidable weapons" in Ukraine's arsenal.
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The halt comes at a "particularly precarious time for Ukraine," with Russia "pounding the country every few days" with hundreds of drones followed by "powerful ballistic missiles that only Patriot missiles can intercept," the Times said. President Donald Trump "has not approved new military aid packages for Ukraine," and to "compensate," Ukraine has "recently launched joint arms production programs with European allies."
It's "no surprise" that this "conscious decision to deny Kyiv weapons it was counting on before Russia's summer assaults" came from Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic whose "chief patron" is Vice President J.D. Vance and top "outside cheerleader is Tucker Carlson," The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial. Trump "says he wants to end the war to save lives, but denying arms to Ukraine will mean more death and a longer war."
What next?
Cheering the halt, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "the less weapons are supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end" of the war. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said "any delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, not seek peace."
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