WashingtonAccording to three people familiar with the situation, the president made the decision after privately expressing his displeasure with Pentagon officials for declaring a halt in some supplies last week, a move he believed was improperly coordinated with the White House.
The Pentagon indicated last week that it will provide Ukraine with precision-guided artillery and other weaponry that U.S. officials claimed were in limited supply. Trump essentially reversed the move on Monday when he stated that the United States will need to deploy more weaponry to Ukraine.
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There was significant internal resistance among Pentagon brass to the delay organized by Pentagon policy head Elbridge Colby before to its announcement, according to two persons who spoke about the private internal conversations on condition of anonymity.
According to one of the people, the statement caught Trump off guard. Questions regarding whether Trump was taken aback by the Pentagon pause were not answered by the White House.
The conflict has been going on for more than three years, and during that time, Russia has been launching increasingly sophisticated airstrikes. “They have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said when he announced the reversal on Monday night. They are currently being severely impacted.
During his meeting with his Cabinet on Tuesday, Trump reacted angrily to a question posed by a reporter who authorized the stop. I’m not sure. Would you mind telling me?”
Trump’s shifting stance toward Putin
The president also attacked the Russian president, implying that he was needlessly extending the conflict, which Trump has stated he is committed to ending as soon as possible. Trump has had trouble coming up with a solution.
In recent days, the Republican leader has sounded more and more frustrated with Putin. Last week, the two had a phone conversation.
“If you want to know the truth, we get a lot of bull—- thrown at us by Putin,” Trump stated at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “He is consistently incredibly kind, yet it is ultimately pointless.
In an attempt to pressure Putin into peace negotiations, he has threatened but refrained from enacting fresh penalties against Russia’s oil sector.
Last Monday, Sen. R-S.C. stated that Trump had authorized him to proceed with a bill he is co-sponsoring that, among other things, calls for a 500% tax on items imported from nations that still purchase Russian oil. China and India, two powerful economies that purchase Russian oil, would be greatly affected by the action.
Trump stated on Tuesday that he is giving it careful consideration.
According to the Pentagon, shipments to Ukraine will restart.
Patriot missile, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missile, Howitzer rounds, and other shipments were affected by the arms pause announced last week. Ukrainian officials, U.S. congressmen, and other Trump administration agencies, including the State Department, were also affected.
In response to Trump’s directive, the Pentagon announced late Monday that it would resume sending weaponry to Ukraine so that the Ukrainian people may protect themselves as we seek a durable peace and put an end to the carnage. However, as part of America First defense policies, spokesperson Sean Parnell emphasized that the review is still ongoing for Trump to assess military supplies around the world.
A request for comment on whether the Defense Secretary conferred with the White House before halting weapons shipments and whether or not those shipments have since restarted was not immediately answered by the Pentagon.
Although Trump stated that the United States will mostly be providing Ukraine with defensive weapons, it is still unknown what kind of weapons will now be deployed.
Counting the armaments
According to a U.S. official, Pentagon leadership was still receiving updates on the stockpiles of certain munitions from each of the services and the combatant commands, the multiservice groups that lead U.S. military operations globally, on Tuesday.
According to the official, they are still performing the calculations.
According to the official, the information was displayed on a stoplight chart with munitions in red, yellow, or green status, resembling slides made the previous week. According to the findings of that earlier study, some munitions could be sent to Ukraine indefinitely, while others were reaching alarming quantities.
According to the official, it takes time to fully understand the quantity of actual munitions on hand because, for instance, Patriot missiles are originally Army property, but the service loses track of those numbers in inventory once they are requested and sent to a combatant command, like U.S. Central Command.
The Army, which has kept a careful eye on supplies in recent years, has withdrawn the great bulk of the munitions and equipment the U.S. has sent to Ukraine, especially for in-demand items like Patriot missiles for air defenses and 155mm artillery shells.
The Army has found it more difficult than anticipated to increase production of those items: By the end of 2025, it aimed to produce 100,000 155mm shells per month, but it won’t be able to do so until 2026, according to Army spokesperson Steve Warren.
According to Warren, increasing the manufacture of Patriot missiles has also been difficult.
Sen., R-Ky., expressed his satisfaction with Trump’s decision to resume shipments to Ukraine in a statement on Tuesday.
“This time, the President will have to turn down calls to restrict these deliveries to defensive weapons from the isolationists and restrainers in his Administration,” McConnell stated. And he should ignore those at DoD who refuse to make significant investments in increasing munitions production while using the excuse of weapons shortages to prevent aid.
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This item was written by Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Lee of the Associated Press.
