Trump Administration’s Decision to Halt the Supply of Air-defense Weapons to Ukraine


Lawmakers, former diplomats and experts questioned the Trump administration’s decision to halt the supply of some air-defense weapons to Ukraine, saying the move risks prolonging the war with Russia and leaving the country more vulnerable to stepped-up missile and drone barrages.

They also challenged the administration’s argument that US stockpiles are running low. While those numbers are classified, the weapons Ukraine needs most aren’t urgently required elsewhere and there was no immediate need to deny the country weapons that were already on their way, they said.

The decision to suspend some deliveries of air-defense missiles and artillery shells caught Ukraine and its allies off guard, especially since it came just days after President Donald Trump suggested he’d be willing to send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

One NATO ally is pressing the Defense Department to reconsider the move, according to a European official familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.

Blumenthal and others said the move runs contrary to Trump’s goal of ending the war and gives Russia an advantage. Trump has stated repeatedly his desire to bring about a permanent end to the war and has called on Putin to do so.

That was a reference to an agreement made at a NATO summit to boost defense and related infrastructure spending to 5% of GDP.

The administration has yet to give a full accounting of the weapons it’s halted, but reports said they include Patriot missiles, artillery shells, Stinger air-defense systems and Hellfire missiles.

Russia has ramped up long-range strikes, particularly with Shahed-136 attack UAVs, targeting Ukrainian population centers.

European partners have provided some air defense systems to Ukraine that can intercept Shahed drones and cruise missiles, but are “useless against Russian ballistic missiles,” said geoeconomics analyst Alex Kokcharov.

Under the program, the Pentagon has also been able to replace what it sends to Ukraine with newer munitions.

The USAI deliveries “are sourced from procurement contracts, not from the Pentagon’s stockpiles, and are distinct from orders for the U.S. military,” Sullivan wrote.

“The administration may not want to say it, but the reality appears to be that the president is winding down U.S. security assistance to Ukraine.”

The weapons cutoff will be most acutely felt by Ukraine’s air defenses, but the inability of European partners to make up for the loss of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems in the near term will reduce Kyiv’s ability to conduct long-range strikes on Russia.

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