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​U.S. Unblocks Military Aid, Sends More Defensive Weapons to Ukraine

Illustrative photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense
Illustrative photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense

As in March, the pause in the supply of American weapons to Ukraine lasted about a week, and the decision to suspend it was reportedly not coordinated with the White House but was instead a unilateral move by Pentagon leadership

The U.S. Department of Defense has officially announced the resumption of arms transfers to Ukraine. This was briefly announced by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, who noted that the resumption of supplies was carried out by presidential decision.

"At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops. Our framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities," the statement reads.

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U.S. Unblocks Military Aid, Sends More Defensive Weapons to Ukraine, Defense Express
Illustrative photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense

Earlier, Donald Trump stated during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. was "forced" to send weapons because Ukrainians "have to be able to defend themselves." Western media insiders report that during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the U.S. president clarified he had not ordered a halt in aid, but merely initiated a review of stockpiles.

It should be recalled that the decision to suspend aid to Ukraine was officially confirmed by the Pentagon on July 2. As in March, the pause in the transfer of already agreed-upon weapons lasted about a week. At that time, according to insiders, the decision came from the U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth, who allegedly gave a verbal order. It seems very likely that he will be blamed this time as well.

In any case, the main thing remains that the U.S. has announced the resumption of arms transfers, which are critical for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the root cause of the halt remains unresolved, as does the fact that this is the second time it has happened, allegedly due to an uncoordinated decision by officials. That is why it comes as a surprise not only to Kyiv but also to Washington.

The main problem may lie in the Pentagon reviewing production distribution instead of existing stock allocation, especially for key supplies critical to Ukraine. In particular, this applies to Patriot missiles, of which 600 MSE and 240 GEM-T are produced annually for all operators.

U.S. Unblocks Military Aid, Sends More Defensive Weapons to Ukraine, Defense Express
Illustrative photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense

Based on this, it is possible that solutions will eventually be found whereby limited supplies of certain types of weapons, which the Pentagon reserves for its own needs, will be offset by others, perhaps less high-tech but more mass-produced. Ultimately, the U.S. will understand why Ukraine needs a large number of missiles for Patriot systems—due to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' limited capability to destroy Iskander and KN-23 missile launchers from North Korea on russian territory.

Ultimately, the problem is that without appropriate long-range weapons and targeting capabilities, it is only possible to engage the missiles, while the launchers remain completely safe.

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