Media: Pentagon chief did not consult with White House before halting arms supplies to Ukraine
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not inform the White House of his decision to halt arms supplies to Ukraine before it happened.
Five CNN sources familiar with the situation surrounding the supply of American weapons to Ukraine said that Hegseth did not inform the White House that he had decided to pause arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also knew nothing about it and first heard about the situation from the press, according to one senior administration official and two other sources.
The sources said that this was the second time in a year that Hegseth had made a unilateral decision on weapons for Ukraine, which then baffled other national security officials. The three sources said that the first time this happened was in February, and the decision was quickly reversed.
When asked on Tuesday who made the decision, President Trump evaded the question with the phrase, "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also avoided confirming or denying that it was Hegseth’s unilateral decision. She noted that the Pentagon had reviewed its stocks to ensure that all support going to foreign countries was in line with American interests and that Trump had decided to continue military aid to Ukraine. She also added that the president has complete confidence in the defence secretary.
Last week, it became known that the Pentagon had suspended the transfer of some artillery ammunition and air defence equipment to Ukraine, citing the need to preserve weapons to defend against other threats.
However, on 7 July, Trump announced that the United States should send Ukraine defensive weapons. According to media reports, he told Zelenskyy in a phone conversation that he was not personally involved in the decision to halt supplies.
Axios reported that Trump has ordered 10 Patriot air defence missiles to be sent to Ukraine and is also pressuring Germany to sell one of its Patriot batteries to Ukraine.
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11 of July 2025
