US halts key Ukraine weapons deliveries amid Russian barrage

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is halting the transfer of artillery rounds and air defences to Ukraine, depriving the country of much-needed weapons as it endures stepped-up missile and drone attacks from Russia. 

The White House confirmed a Politico report on the stoppage, which said the move came after a review of US munitions stockpiles and amid concerns they had fallen too low. 

Among the weapons that are being paused are 155mm artillery shells, Stinger shoulder-fired missiles, Patriots and Hellfire missiles, PBS News Hour’s Mr Nick Schifrin reported. 

“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD (Department of Defence) review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in an e-mailed statement confirming the report.

“The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned – just ask Iran.”

The decision comes as Ukraine struggles to repel large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes across the country.

On June 29, Ukraine said Russia fired a record 537 missiles and drones in “massive” overnight attacks.

Russia has intensified its attacks in recent weeks as President Vladimir Putin

defies US and European calls to accept a ceasefire to allow for peace talks.

The move was spearheaded by Undersecretary of Defence for Policy Elbridge Colby, Politico said.

Mr Colby has long argued that the US is overextended abroad militarily, and has joined Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in repeatedly saying that European allies should assume greater responsibility for the continent’s security, including the defence of Ukraine.

In a statement, Mr Colby said the Pentagon “continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end”.

“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 defence priorities,” he said.

The Biden administration used two methods to send weapons to Kyiv, relying on drawdowns of equipment from US stockpiles in the short term and allocating money to purchase new equipment. 

While the US has billions of dollars in congressional funding left over from the Biden administration to supply Ukraine weapons, those could take years to manufacture and deliver.

US President Donald Trump has previously signalled that he would be willing to cut support, and he has not sought more money from lawmakers. BLOOMBERG