US halts key Ukraine weapons deliveries amid Russian barrage

Courtney McBride, Bloomberg News on Jul 1, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

The Trump administration is halting the transfer of artillery rounds and air defenses to Ukraine, depriving the country of much-needed weapons as it endures stepped-up missile and drone attacks from Russia.

The White House confirmed a Politico report on the stoppage, which said the move came after a review of U.S. munitions stockpiles and amid concerns they had fallen too low. Among the weapons that are being paused are 155mm artillery shells, Stinger shoulder-fired missiles, Patriots and Hellfire missiles, PBS Newshour’s Nick Schifrin reported.

“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,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in an emailed statement confirming the report. “The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran.”

The decision comes as Ukraine struggles to repel large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes across the country. On Sunday, Ukraine said Russia fired a record 537 missiles and drones in “massive” overnight attacks. Russia has intensified its attacks in recent weeks as President Vladimir Putin defies U.S. and European calls to accept a ceasefire to allow for peace talks.

The move was spearheaded by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, Politico said. Colby has long argued that the U.S. is overextended abroad militarily, and has joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in repeatedly saying that European allies should assume greater responsibility for the continent’s security, including the defense of Ukraine.

In a statement, Colby said the Pentagon “continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end.”

“At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for Administration defense priorities,” he said.

The Biden administration used two methods to send weapons to Kyiv, relying on drawdowns of equipment from U.S. stockpiles in the short term and allocating money to purchase new equipment.

While the U.S. has billions of dollars in congressional funding left over from the Biden administration to supply Ukraine weapons, those could take years for manufacture and delivery. President Donald Trump has previously signaled he’d be willing to cut support, and he hasn’t sought more money from lawmakers.

_____

(With assistance from Jennifer A. Dlouhy.)

_____