PUTIN'S PUPPET
The United States is pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine over concerns about declining US stockpiles, officials said Tuesday, marking a setback for Kyiv as it faces intensifying Russian attacks. Kyiv reacted to the military aid cuts by summoning the deputy chief of the US embassy in Kyiv to a meeting on Wednesday.
Issued on: 02/07/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Emmanuelle CHAZE
02:12
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a US Patriot anti-missile missile battery on June 11, 2024, at a military training camp in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region of Germany.
© Jens Büttner, Pool, AFP Archives
The US is halting some shipments of weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said Tuesday, a setback for the country as it tries to fend off escalating attacks from Russia.
Kyiv reacted to the delay in military aid on Wednesday by summoning the deputy chief of the US embassy in Kyiv to a meeting Wednesday and warned him any delays in US military aid to Ukraine would "encourage" Russia, the foreign ministry said.
"John Ginkel was invited to the Ukrainian foreign ministry ... The Ukrainian side stressed that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defence capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue the war," the ministry said in a statement.
Certain munitions were previously promised to Ukraine under the Biden administration to aid its defences during the more than three-year-old war. The pause reflects a new set of priorities under President Donald Trump and came after Defence Department officials scrutinised current US stockpiles and raised concerns.
“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned – just ask Iran.”
That was a reference to Trump recently ordering US missile strikes against nuclear sites in Iran.
The Pentagon review determined that stocks were too low on some weapons previously pledged, so pending shipments of some items won’t be sent, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide information that has not yet been made public.
Read more Macron urges Putin to accept Ukraine ceasefire in first phone call since 2022
The Defence Department did not provide details on what specific weapons were being held back.
“America’s military has never been more ready and more capable,” spokesman Sean Parnell said, adding that the major tax cut and spending package moving through Congress “ensures that our weapons and defence systems are modernised to protect against 21st century threats for generations to come".
The halt of some weapons from the US is a blow to Ukraine as Russia has recently launched some of its biggest aerial attacks of the war, in an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts championed by Trump. Talks between the sides have ground to a halt.
The US stoppage was first reported by Politico.
To date, the US has provided Ukraine more than $66 billion worth of weapons and military assistance since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022.
Over the course of the war, the US has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defence systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia.
Trump met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit last week and had left open the possibility of sending Kyiv more US-made Patriot air defence missile systems, acknowledging they would help the Ukrainian cause.
Read more Russia ramps up attacks on Ukraine in biggest air offensive since war began
“They do want to have the antimissile missiles, OK, as they call them, the Patriots,” Trump said then. “And we’re going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too. We’re supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective, 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective. They do want that more than any other thing.”
Those comments reflect a change of thinking about providing weapons to Ukraine across the administration in recent months.
In testimony before lawmakers in June, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he has moved quickly to quash wasteful programmes and redirect funding to Trump’s top objectives.
Hegseth said a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine, which has been promoted for months by Trump, makes America look strong, even though Moscow is the aggressor in the conflict. He also said the defence budget includes hard choices and “reflects the reality that Europe needs to step up more for the defence of its own continent. And President Trump deserves the credit for that.”
The defence secretary told lawmakers last month that some US security spending for Ukraine was still in the pipeline, without providing details. But he said such assistance – which has been robust for the past two years – would be reduced.
The US is halting some shipments of weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said Tuesday, a setback for the country as it tries to fend off escalating attacks from Russia.
Kyiv reacted to the delay in military aid on Wednesday by summoning the deputy chief of the US embassy in Kyiv to a meeting Wednesday and warned him any delays in US military aid to Ukraine would "encourage" Russia, the foreign ministry said.
"John Ginkel was invited to the Ukrainian foreign ministry ... The Ukrainian side stressed that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defence capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue the war," the ministry said in a statement.
Certain munitions were previously promised to Ukraine under the Biden administration to aid its defences during the more than three-year-old war. The pause reflects a new set of priorities under President Donald Trump and came after Defence Department officials scrutinised current US stockpiles and raised concerns.
“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned – just ask Iran.”
That was a reference to Trump recently ordering US missile strikes against nuclear sites in Iran.
The Pentagon review determined that stocks were too low on some weapons previously pledged, so pending shipments of some items won’t be sent, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide information that has not yet been made public.
Read more Macron urges Putin to accept Ukraine ceasefire in first phone call since 2022
The Defence Department did not provide details on what specific weapons were being held back.
“America’s military has never been more ready and more capable,” spokesman Sean Parnell said, adding that the major tax cut and spending package moving through Congress “ensures that our weapons and defence systems are modernised to protect against 21st century threats for generations to come".
The halt of some weapons from the US is a blow to Ukraine as Russia has recently launched some of its biggest aerial attacks of the war, in an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts championed by Trump. Talks between the sides have ground to a halt.
The US stoppage was first reported by Politico.
To date, the US has provided Ukraine more than $66 billion worth of weapons and military assistance since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022.
Over the course of the war, the US has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defence systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia.
Trump met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit last week and had left open the possibility of sending Kyiv more US-made Patriot air defence missile systems, acknowledging they would help the Ukrainian cause.
Read more Russia ramps up attacks on Ukraine in biggest air offensive since war began
“They do want to have the antimissile missiles, OK, as they call them, the Patriots,” Trump said then. “And we’re going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too. We’re supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective, 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective. They do want that more than any other thing.”
Those comments reflect a change of thinking about providing weapons to Ukraine across the administration in recent months.
In testimony before lawmakers in June, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he has moved quickly to quash wasteful programmes and redirect funding to Trump’s top objectives.
Hegseth said a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine, which has been promoted for months by Trump, makes America look strong, even though Moscow is the aggressor in the conflict. He also said the defence budget includes hard choices and “reflects the reality that Europe needs to step up more for the defence of its own continent. And President Trump deserves the credit for that.”
The defence secretary told lawmakers last month that some US security spending for Ukraine was still in the pipeline, without providing details. But he said such assistance – which has been robust for the past two years – would be reduced.
05:25© France 24
“This administration takes a very different view of that conflict,” Hegseth said. “We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation’s interests.”
The change comes after Hegseth skipped a meeting last month of an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine that the US created three years ago. Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, formed the group after Russia attacked Ukraine, and Hegseth's absence was the first time the US defence secretary wasn’t in attendance.
Under Austin’s leadership, the US served as chair of the group, and he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff attended monthly meetings, which were both in person and by video.
Hegseth had previously stepped away from a leadership role of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group – turning that over to Germany and the United Kingdom – before abandoning the gathering altogether.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
Washington (AFP) – The White House said Tuesday it is halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine that were promised under the Biden administration for Kyiv's battle against the Russian invasion.
Issued on: 02/07/2025 -
The US is halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
© OLEG PETRASIUK / 24th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces/AFP/File
Stopping the delivery of munitions and other military aid including air defense systems likely would be a blow to Ukraine as it contends with some of Russia's largest missile and drone attacks of the three-year-old war.
"This decision was made to put America's interests first following a DOD (Department of Defense) review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told AFP in an email.
The curtailment of military aid signals a possible shift in the priorities of US President Donald Trump, who has pressed for Russia and Ukraine to speed up stalled peace talks.
The Republican has moved on to playing a greater role in orchestrating a possible ceasefire in Gaza and toning down Iran-Israel tensions after a deadly 12-day conflict between the arch foes.
The Pentagon review determined that stocks had become too low on some previously pledged munitions, and that some pending shipments now would not be sent, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Politico, which first reported the halt of military aid.
"The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned -- just ask Iran," Kelly said, making a reference to the recent US bombings and missile strikes against the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities.
Politico and other US media reported that missiles for Patriot air defense systems, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles are among the items being held back.
Michael McFaul, who was the US ambassador to Russia from 2012 until just before the Crimea conflict began in 2014, said on X: "The Trump administration is even stopping delivery of Patriots? So disgusting and embarrassing as the 'leader of the free world.' I guess we are done with that."
Last week at a NATO summit in the Netherlands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump and appeared to get a vague response from the US leader on Patriot air defense systems.
"We're going to see if we can make some available," Trump said of the missiles that Kyiv desperately seeks to shoot down Russian attacks.
"They're very hard to get," Trump added.
Stopping the delivery of munitions and other military aid including air defense systems likely would be a blow to Ukraine as it contends with some of Russia's largest missile and drone attacks of the three-year-old war.
"This decision was made to put America's interests first following a DOD (Department of Defense) review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told AFP in an email.
The curtailment of military aid signals a possible shift in the priorities of US President Donald Trump, who has pressed for Russia and Ukraine to speed up stalled peace talks.
The Republican has moved on to playing a greater role in orchestrating a possible ceasefire in Gaza and toning down Iran-Israel tensions after a deadly 12-day conflict between the arch foes.
The Pentagon review determined that stocks had become too low on some previously pledged munitions, and that some pending shipments now would not be sent, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Politico, which first reported the halt of military aid.
"The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned -- just ask Iran," Kelly said, making a reference to the recent US bombings and missile strikes against the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities.
Politico and other US media reported that missiles for Patriot air defense systems, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles are among the items being held back.
Michael McFaul, who was the US ambassador to Russia from 2012 until just before the Crimea conflict began in 2014, said on X: "The Trump administration is even stopping delivery of Patriots? So disgusting and embarrassing as the 'leader of the free world.' I guess we are done with that."
Last week at a NATO summit in the Netherlands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump and appeared to get a vague response from the US leader on Patriot air defense systems.
"We're going to see if we can make some available," Trump said of the missiles that Kyiv desperately seeks to shoot down Russian attacks.
"They're very hard to get," Trump added.
Thousands of drones
A Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv region killed one person and wounded another, its governor said early Wednesday.
The attack follows Ukrainian drone strikes which killed three people and wounded dozens in the Russian city of Izhevsk on Tuesday, striking more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the front line -- one of the deepest attacks inside Russia to date.
An AFP analysis published Tuesday found that Russia dramatically ramped up aerial attacks in June, firing thousands of drones as Ukraine's stretched air defense systems and exhausted civilian population felt the Kremlin's increased pressure.
An April report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that Ukraine is being outgunned by Russia, despite spending more of its GDP on defense than any other country in the world.
Ukraine's military expenditure in 2024 was $64.7 billion, SIPRI said, and Kyiv has relied heavily on its allies in Europe and the United States for weapons and aid.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin blamed the West for fanning the flames of war with that support, telling French president Emmanuel Macron Tuesday that the West has "for many years ignored Russia's security interests."
The White House's tone has openly shifted on Ukraine with the Trump presidency.
Back in 2022, then president Joe Biden affectionately embraced Zelensky at the White House as his administration announced another $2 billion in weapons for Ukraine.
During Zelensky's Washington visit earlier this year, he was belittled on-camera by Trump and Vice President JD Vance during an Oval Office meeting, who ganged up to accuse the Ukrainian leader of ingratitude.
Asked by AFP for comment on the halt of shipments and why it was occurring, the Pentagon did not respond directly.
But its chief spokesman Sean Parnell said "America's military has never been more ready and more capable thanks to President Trump and Secretary (Pete) Hegseth's leadership."
© 2025 AFP
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