US halts military aid to Ukraine amid concerns about low stockpiles

Houston: The Trump administration has halted part of military aid to Ukraine following a review of US own stockpiles, the White House and Pentagon confirmed.

“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

The move came amid concerns about US military stockpiles falling too low, multiple US media outlets reported, citing informative sources.

Last month US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo ordering a review of the US stockpile of munitions, in the aftermath of three years of aid to Ukraine, recent strikes on Yemen’s Houthi group and Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

The review determined that stocks were too low on some weapons previously pledged, according to media reports.

Elbridge Colby, the Defense Department undersecretary for policy, said the Pentagon will continue “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 US forces’ readiness for Administration defense priorities,” Colby said in a statement.

After meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky during the NATO summit at The Hague last week, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Ukraine is eager to get the Patriot air defence missiles from the United States.

“They do want to have the anti-missile missiles, OK, as they call them, the Patriots,” Trump said then. “And we’re going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too.”

“We’re supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective, 100 per cent effective. Hard to believe how effective. They do want that more than any other thing,” he said.

Some analysts suggest it is a signal that the Trump administration may further reduce aid to Ukraine. Hegseth skipped a meeting last month of an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine. It is the first time the US defence secretary was not in attendance.

The United States has provided Ukraine with more than $66 billion worth of weapons and military assistance since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, according to a report.

–IANS