Pentagon halting some promised munitions for Ukraine

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Pentagon halting some promised munitions for Ukraine

The decision was driven by the Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, and was made after a review of Pentagon munitions stockpiles.

The Pentagon has halted shipments of some air defense missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine due to worries that U.S. weapons stockpiles have fallen too low.

The decision was driven by the Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, and was made after a review of Pentagon munitions stockpiles, leading to concerns that the total number of artillery rounds, air defense missiles and precision munitions was sinking, according to three people familiar with the issue.

The initial decision to withhold some aid promised during the Biden administration came in early June, according to the people, but is only taking effect now as Ukraine is beating back some of the largest Russian barrages of missiles and drones at civilian targets in Kyiv and elsewhere.

The people were granted anonymity to discuss current operations. The Pentagon and White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Russia over the weekend launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the start of the three-year war, with a reported 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles. Of these, 249 were reportedly shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.

The move by the Pentagon to halt some of the shipments stoked fears among Ukraine’s allies in Congress that the country would be left vulnerable to further Russian airstrikes.

The munitions are a mix of air defenses and precision weapons that have been flowing to Ukraine for much of the past two-plus years. The weapons are a mix of two different streams of support the U.S has provided Ukraine, both under the Biden administration. Some come from drawdowns on current stockpiles, with the DOD receiving money to replenish those munitions as quickly as possible. The second comes from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, in which the U.S. funds the purchase of weapons for Ukraine from American defense firms. The money has been used to put weapons under contract for the Ukrainian government.

Money in the fund was all obligated by the end of the Biden administration, with deliveries coming whenever the systems are ready. The drawdowns from current stockpiles have continued under the Trump administration, which has been using up the last of the $61 billion in funding to replenish U.S. stocks of weapons and provide billions in aid for Israel and other partners.

The Trump administration has not requested any further aid, though there is enough left over from the Biden administration to last Ukraine several more months, according to an administration official.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/0 ... t-00436048