The White House on Tuesday confirmed a temporary suspension of certain U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine, citing concerns over diminishing domestic military stockpiles as Russia intensifies its offensive.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the decision followed a Department of Defense review and was taken “to put America’s interests first.” While specific weapons were not identified, sources told Reuters that air defense missiles and precision-guided munitions are likely among the affected items.
The move reflects growing concern within President Donald Trump’s administration that continuous arms deliveries to Kyiv could strain U.S. military readiness. A senior defense official, speaking to CBS News, confirmed the decision was driven by fears of critical stockpiles dropping to unacceptable levels.
“The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,” Kelly added, referring to recent U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The announcement follows President Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during last week’s NATO summit in the Netherlands. Despite past tensions, the two leaders appeared cordial.
“We had a little rough sometimes, but he couldn’t have been nicer,” Trump said, recalling their heated March exchange at the White House, which had briefly halted both military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Asked by the BBC whether Ukraine would receive more Patriot air defense systems, Trump responded: “We are going to see if we can make some of them available.”
The Ukrainian government has not yet commented publicly on the suspension.
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, said the Pentagon continues to offer “robust options” to assist Ukraine but emphasized the need to balance that with America’s broader defense strategy.
“We aim to balance support for Ukraine with the readiness of our own forces and broader defense priorities,” Colby said, noting that the Pentagon is “rigorously examining and adapting” its approach.
The weapons freeze comes at a critical time, as Russia has launched one of its most aggressive aerial campaigns since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Over the weekend, Moscow reportedly deployed more than 500 drones and various types of missiles targeting Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, tensions escalated on Tuesday when three people were reportedly killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a factory in Izhevsk, located more than 1,000 kilometers inside Russian territory.
In a separate development, French President Emmanuel Macron held a rare phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin — their first in over two years. Macron reportedly called for a ceasefire, while Putin accused Western nations of provoking the war and establishing an “anti-Russian bridgehead” in Ukraine.
The pause in U.S. arms deliveries could also impact a recently signed agreement between Washington and Kyiv, which grants the U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral reserves in exchange for continued military support — a deal analysts now say may come under strain.
Since the beginning of the war, the U.S. has committed more than $75 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, including advanced weaponry, training, and intelligence. However, amid growing domestic debate and Trump’s “America First” doctrine, questions about the sustainability of such aid continue to mount.
