Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a pause in sending a shipment of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine amid concern about the U.S. military’s stockpiles, according to two defense officials, two congressional officials and two sources with knowledge of the decision.
Hegseth ordered the delay weeks after he issued a memo ordering a review of the U.S. stockpile of munitions, which has been depleted after years of the United States’ sending weapons to Ukraine to defend against the Russia invasion, as well as nearly two years of military operations in the Middle East as the United States fought Houthi rebels in Yemen and defended Israel and allies against Iran, four of the officials said.
The munitions and other weapons could be held up until the assessment is complete, the two defense officials and two congressional officials said, and if the munitions are in short supply or needed in other parts of the world, they could be held back even longer.
The weapons being delayed include dozens of Patriot interceptors that can defend against incoming Russian missiles, thousands of 155 mm high explosive Howitzer munitions, more than 100 Hellfire missiles, more than 250 precision-guided missile systems known as GMLRS and dozens each of Stinger surface-to-air missiles, AIM air-to-air missiles and grenade launchers, the two defense officials, two congressional officials and two sources with knowledge of the decision said.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe. The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran.” The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment.
At a closing news conference after a NATO meeting at The Hague last week, President Donald Trump said the United States is trying to find Patriot air defense missiles to send to Ukraine.
“They do want to have the anti-missile missiles,” Trump said of Ukraine. “As they call them the Patriots, and we’re going to see if we can make some available.” He said that the United States is supplying weapons to Israel and that “you know, they’re very hard to get. We need them, too.”
A senior Ukrainian lawmaker on Wednesday called the Pentagon’s decision “painful” for Kyiv’s effort to defend itself against Russian air strikes.
“This decision is certainly very unpleasant for us,” Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Ukrainian parliament’s defense committee, said in Kyiv, according to Reuters.
He added, “it’s painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine … it’s a very unpleasant situation.”
Ukraine’s foreign ministry also met with John Ginkel, a U.S. diplomat based in Kyiv, to discuss military assistance and defense cooperation between with two countries.
“It was stressed that any delays or hesitation in supporting Ukraine’s defense capacities would only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace,” the ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed for additional U.S. and European air defense weaponry as Russia has stepped up its air raids in recent months. Over the weekend, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russia had launched the largest aerial attack on the country since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, firing 60 missiles and 477 drones.
Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are also working to secure a permanent ceasefire. Though it’s common for new administrations to pause weapons transfers to assess stockpiles, there are concerns about the moment in which this is happening, according to an official with knowledge of the situation. The official said Ukraine needs to appear strong to get Russia to the negotiating table.
During a visit to Washington on June 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top adviser, Andriy Yermak, told reporters that his country was holding off Russian forces but needed more air defense systems to safeguard its cities from Russian attacks.
The munitions were approved as part of Presidential Drawdown Authority and Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative packages during the Biden administration, the defense officials and two sources with knowledge of the decision said. Some of the shipments are already in the region but have been stopped before being turned over to Ukraine, according to a defense official and two sources with knowledge of the decision.
Last month, the acting chief of naval operations, Adm. James Kilby, warned during testimony before Congress that while the Navy has enough standard missiles, known as SM-3s, right now, the United States has been using some missiles and munitions “at an alarming rate.”