The Pentagon has halted deliveries of some weapons to Ukraine due to concerns that US stocks have dwindled too much. According to a report in Politico, these include Patriot air defense missiles, Hellfire missiles and other precision artillery munitions. The deliveries of these weapons were negotiated with Kiev by the Joe Biden administration.
White House: The decision was made "in the interest of America"
"This decision was made to put America's interests first after the Department of Defense reviewed our country's military support and assistance to other countries around the world," said White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly in this regard. However, she hastened to add that the strength of the American armed forces remains undeniable. "Ask Iran," Kelly said in this regard.
The weapons were promised by Biden
Thus, Anna Kelly indirectly confirmed the reports of the American media, which reported this even before her statement. According to Politico and NBC News, these are weapons that were promised to Ukraine by Joe Biden, Donald Trump's predecessor. During Biden's term, the United States provided Ukraine with more than $60 billion in military aid (about 51 billion euros).
The Pentagon's actions have raised concerns in the US Congress. "American air defense systems, including the "Patriot", are the backbone of Ukraine's defense... They save lives every day," said Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kapter, quoted by Politico. "If this is true, Mr. Colby is making decisions that will inevitably lead to the deaths of Ukrainian military personnel and civilians."
The ammunition in question has been flowing to Ukraine for more than two years through two channels, Politico specifies in its publication on the subject: from the Pentagon's current stockpiles with subsequent reimbursement of costs and through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), under which the United States finances the purchase of weapons for Kiev from American defense companies. By the end of President Biden's term, all funds allocated under USAI had been allocated and deliveries continued when the systems were ready.
Zelensky warns of dire consequences
In early June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of huge consequences for his country if the United States reduced or completely stopped its support for Ukraine. The United States, once Kiev's biggest supporter, has not made a decision on new aid to Ukraine since January.