The United States announced on Tuesday that it has suspended the shipment of some weapons to Ukraine, expressing concern over the decrease in its own ammunition reserves, at a time when Russia is intensifying its attacks on Ukraine.
This suspension of shipments to Kiev affects missiles and air defense projectiles, according to Politico and other US media outlets. The timing could not be more critical as Ukraine is currently facing the intensification of Russian airstrikes.
Under the presidency of Democrat Joe Biden, the United States provided over $60 billion in military aid to Kiev.
This will be a hard blow to Ukraine amid one of the largest Russian offensives in over three years of war.
The number of long-range drones launched by Russia increased by 36.8% (5,438) in June compared to the previous month (3,974), the highest figure since February 2022, according to Afp data.
Ceasefire negotiations between Kiev and Moscow remain at a standstill.
Russia, which already controls about a fifth of Ukraine, continues to gradually advance, gaining ground in recent weeks in the southeastern regions of Ukraine of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk.
Delayed air defense interceptors to help down Russian drones and projectiles
The Pentagon has halted some shipments of air defense missiles and other precision ammunition to Ukraine out of fear that US stocks are too low, said two people familiar with the decision on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters.
The slowdown in some promised arms shipments to Kiev by the administration of former President Joe Biden occurred in recent days, they said, adding that air defense interceptors to help shoot down drones and Russian projectiles are among the delayed items.
In an email, the Pentagon stated that it was providing President Donald Trump with options to continue military aid to Ukraine in line with the goal of ending the war with Russia.
"At the same time, the department is rigorously examining how to adapt its approach to achieve this goal while preserving US stocks.
All arms aid was briefly halted in February with a longer second pause in March. The Trump administration resumed the last approved aid shipments under Biden's tenure. No new policy has been announced. Politico reported the pause on Tuesday.