United States Stops Supply Of Missiles To Ukraine

JAKARTA - The Pentagon has suspended deliveries of other precision air defense and ammunition missiles to Ukraine due to fears of low stock in the United States, two people familiar with the decision said on Tuesday.

The slowdown in shipments of several weapons promised to Kyiv by former President Joe Biden's administration comes in recent days, they said, adding air defense interceptors were helping to bring down drones and Russian projectiles including among pending items.

In recent weeks Russia has intensified airstrikes in Ukrainian cities, on several nights launching hundreds of drones and missiles at once, causing widespread damage and increased civilian casualties.

Since US President Donald Trump took office in January, he has softened Washington's position on Russia, seeking diplomatic solutions to the war in Ukraine, raising doubts about future US military support for Kyiv war efforts.

Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the defense and national security committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, called the decision to stop the shipment "very unpleasant to us".

"It hurts, and with the background of the terrorist attacks Russia has on Ukraine, this is a very unpleasant situation," Venislavskyi told reporters.

Last week, President Trump said he was considering selling more Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine after a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia, which already controls about a fifth of Ukraine's territory, has been preparing for a gradually advancing summer ground attack in the eastern region of Donetsk and the northeastern region of Sumy.

Ukraine itself is currently experiencing a shortage of 155 mm of ammunition used for artillery on the front lines, one of Ukraine's defense sources said, which said the shortage and news of US supply delays were "very sad".

In an email, the Pentagon said it gave President Trump the option to continue military aid to Ukraine in accordance with the aim of ending Russia's war there.

"At the same time, the department is strictly examining and adjusting its approach to achieving this goal while also maintaining the readiness of US troops for government defense priorities," the U.S. Deputy Defense Minister for Elbridge Colby Policy said.

Meanwhile, senior White House officials told CNN Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the review, which the official said had been going on for months.

It is unclear whether the military support given to other countries will be affected.

Meanwhile, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the decision was made "to put America's interests first."

All weapons assistance was temporarily suspended in February with a second longer suspension in March. President Trump's administration continues to deliver final approved aid under Biden.

So far no new policies have been announced.

It is known that Uncle Sam's country has been the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, including sending air defense systems, drones, rocket launchers, radars, tanks to anti-tank weapons.

However, the balance of aid to Ukraine has changed significantly since Trump returned to power, raising doubts over the future of US support for Kyiv.

In April, Europe surpassed the US in total military aid to Ukraine for the first time, with its contribution equivalent to 72 billion euros compared to the US by 65 billion euros according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank that tracks wartime aid to Ukraine.

The shift comes after President Trump halted all military aid deliveries to Ukraine, following fierce arguments in the Oval Room with President Zelensky in March, before continuing the flow of aid to Ukraine about a week later.

The Patriot system is widely considered to be one of the best air defense systems, particularly in protecting against advanced hypersonic and ballistic missiles.

Ukraine is known to have about half a dozen US-made Patriot air defense systems, which play an important role in its air defenses, protecting millions of civilians from Russian missiles. However, Kyiv is at risk of running out of missiles for this system.