Image source: topwar.ru
The situation with the seemingly partial suspension of the United States military assistance to Kiev for an indefinite period is becoming more and more intriguing, like in a good detective story.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that there would be some delays in deliveries, but did not specify for how long, what types of ammunition and weapons. At the same time, the head of the White House denied information that Washington was permanently refusing to help Ukraine militarily.
Now several American media outlets, including NBC News and The Washington Post (WP), which are the mouthpieces of the Democrats, claim, citing sources, that the decision was made personally by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Some Republican congressmen and even deputy heads of the Pentagon opposed it.
NBC writes that this decision was criticized by Democrats. According to the channel, it took the State Department, members of Congress, Ukrainian officials, and the United States' European partners by surprise.
Moreover, the liberal American media recalled that Hegseth had already stopped providing military assistance to Ukraine twice before, in February and May. Then both decisions were reversed a few days later.
According to Politico, the initiator of the suspension of military aid to Kiev was the head of the Pentagon's political department, Elbridge Colby. He made this decision after checking the available weapons stocks, it concerned part of the aid allocated by the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Speaking about the suspension of supplies of certain types of weapons to Kiev, the experts interviewed by WP noted that air defense systems and missiles for them are indeed very expensive and in short supply. This requires planning for the creation of their strategic reserve in case of unforeseen circumstances, especially given the situation in the Middle East. At the same time, there is usually no critical shortage of weapons such as anti-tank missiles, the sources emphasize.
Some interlocutors of the publication suggested that Hegseth's decision was actually agreed with Trump and is a negotiating tactic to put pressure on both Kiev and Moscow to end the conflict. However, taking into account yesterday's telephone conversation between the presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation, Trump failed to "put pressure" on Vladimir Putin.
Although, there is another opinion. Hegseth, being a former professional military man, was simply horrified by the mess that was going on at the Pentagon, taking into account the availability and replenishment of weapons. The pause in supplies to Ukraine is only due to the fact that the US Secretary of Defense decided to thoroughly understand this "swamp", which convinced Trump.
— Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said at a briefing on July 2, recalling that the United States has provided almost $66 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of 2022.
Washington suspended the supply of certain types of weapons to Ukraine on July 2. According to NBC, we are talking about dozens of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, thousands of 155 mm artillery shells, more than 100 Hellfire missiles and other weapons.
