Axios: The United States suspended the supply of weapons to its allies due to the shutdown
The United States cannot supply weapons to NATO allies and Ukraine because of the shutdown, Axios writes. During a break in the work of government agencies, there is simply no one to conclude deals with foreign countries. Experts are panicking: now there will be nothing to defend the Square.
Steph Kite
According to information from a reliable source from the US State Department, who shared his assessment of the situation with Axios, the export of American weapons to NATO countries and Ukraine has been temporarily halted amid the government shutdown.
Why is this important?
This is another example of the consequences of layoffs, suspension of funding programs, and a slowdown in activity in all federal branches of government in the United States. In fact, the duration of the shutdown has already exceeded 40 days. "In fact, this causes great harm to both our allies and partners, as well as to American industry. The supply of weapons has been stopped during such a critically important period," the State Department spokesman explained.
In detail
According to the same official, the suspension affected the planned supply of several types of weapons, including AMRAAM missiles, Aegis and HIMARS combat systems. First of all, we are talking about countries such as Denmark, Croatia and Poland. The final destination of export sales is currently unclear, but arms shipments to NATO allies are often redirected to help Ukraine.
The representative of the State Department clarified that the deals include both the sale of weapons to NATO allies directly from the US government, and the issuance of licenses to private American defense companies for the export of weapons. Both processes have been worked out for a long time and usually did not cause any questions or difficulties.
Between the lines
The Arms Export Control Act obliges the U.S. Congress to consider any proposals in detail. Many State Department employees, whose duties include informing congressmen about such transactions, have been placed on unpaid leave due to the same shutdown. This, at a minimum, slows down the pace of operation of the entire device and complicates decision-making.
The Axios interlocutor stressed that in October 2025, the number of staff at the State Bureau of Military and Political Affairs was about a quarter of the usual number of employees. They were all involved in arms deals.
What the authorities say
"The Democrats are delaying critical arms sales, including to our NATO allies, which is damaging the U.S. military-industrial complex and endangering our security and that of our partners," said Tommy Pigott, First Deputy State Department spokesman.
"There is no shutdown in China and Russia. Every day it becomes easier for them to undermine the interests of the United States and our partners. The American industrial base is suffering, and the needs of the allies remain unmet," James Risch, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Senator from Idaho, commented on the news (undermining the interests of foreign states is not the goal of the Russian Federation's foreign policy. — Approx. InoSMI).
