U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaves pursuing a closed briefing connected the concern successful Iran for members of the U.S. Senate connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, D.C., U.S., June 26, 2025.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a intermission successful sending a shipment of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine amid interest astir the U.S. military's stockpiles, according to 2 defence officials, 2 legislature officials and 2 sources with cognition of the decision.
Hegseth ordered the hold weeks aft helium issued a memo ordering a reappraisal of the U.S. stockpile of munitions, which has been depleted aft years of the United States' sending weapons to Ukraine to support against the Russia invasion, arsenic good arsenic astir 2 years of subject operations successful the Middle East arsenic the United States fought Houthi rebels successful Yemen and defended Israel and allies against Iran, 4 of the officials said.
The munitions and different weapons could beryllium held up until the appraisal is complete, the 2 defence officials and 2 legislature officials said, and if the munitions are successful abbreviated proviso oregon needed successful different parts of the world, they could beryllium held backmost adjacent longer.
The weapons being delayed see dozens of Patriot interceptors that tin support against incoming Russian missiles, thousands of 155 mm precocious explosive Howitzer munitions, much than 100 Hellfire missiles, much than 250 precision-guided rocket systems known arsenic GMLRS and dozens each of Stinger surface-to-air missiles, AIM air-to-air missiles and grenade launchers, the 2 defence officials, 2 legislature officials and 2 sources with cognition of the determination said.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: "This determination was made to enactment America's interests archetypal pursuing a DOD reappraisal of our nation's subject enactment and assistance to different countries crossed the globe. The spot of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — conscionable inquire Iran." The Defense Department did not respond to a petition for comment.
At a closing quality league aft a NATO gathering astatine The Hague past week, President Donald Trump said the United States is trying to find Patriot aerial defence missiles to nonstop to Ukraine.
"They bash privation to person the anti-missile missiles," Trump said of Ukraine. "As they telephone them the Patriots, and we're going to spot if we tin marque immoderate available." He said that the United States is supplying weapons to Israel and that "you know, they're precise hard to get. We request them, too."
A elder Ukrainian lawmaker connected Wednesday called the Pentagon's determination "painful" for Kyiv's effort to support itself against Russian aerial strikes.
"This determination is surely precise unpleasant for us," Fedir Venislavskyi, a subordinate of the Ukrainian parliament's defence committee, said successful Kyiv, according to Reuters.
He added, "it's painful, and against the inheritance of the violent attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine ... it's a precise unpleasant situation."
Ukraine's overseas ministry besides met with John Ginkel, a U.S. diplomat based successful Kyiv, to sermon subject assistance and defence practice betwixt with 2 countries.
"It was stressed that immoderate delays oregon hesitation successful supporting Ukraine's defence capacities would lone promote the aggressor to proceed the warfare and terror, alternatively than question peace," the ministry said successful a statement.
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed for further U.S. and European aerial defence weaponry arsenic Russia has stepped up its aerial raids successful caller months. Over the weekend, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Russia had launched the largest aerial onslaught connected the state since Moscow's full-scale penetration successful 2022, firing 60 missiles and 477 drones.
Trump and his Republican allies successful Congress are besides moving to unafraid a imperishable ceasefire. Though it's communal for caller administrations to intermission weapons transfers to measure stockpiles, determination are concerns astir the infinitesimal successful which this is happening, according to an authoritative with cognition of the situation. The authoritative said Ukraine needs to look beardown to get Russia to the negotiating table.
During a sojourn to Washington connected June 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's apical adviser, Andriy Yermak, told reporters that his state was holding disconnected Russian forces but needed much aerial defence systems to safeguard its cities from Russian attacks.
The munitions were approved arsenic portion of Presidential Drawdown Authority and Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative packages during the Biden administration, the defence officials and 2 sources with cognition of the determination said. Some of the shipments are already successful the portion but person been stopped earlier being turned implicit to Ukraine, according to a defence authoritative and 2 sources with cognition of the decision.
Last month, the acting main of naval operations, Adm. James Kilby, warned during grounds earlier Congress that portion the Navy has capable modular missiles, known arsenic SM-3s, close now, the United States has been utilizing immoderate missiles and munitions "at an alarming rate."
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