Russia and Putin · Second term · № 112
Denied a pause in weapons for Ukraine that the White House had confirmed two days earlier
“We haven't. We're giving weapons, but we've given so many weapons. But we are giving weapons, and we're working with them and trying to help them. But we haven't.”
- Said
- , Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
- Subject
- Weapons shipment pause
- Type
- Ukraine
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- Second term
What happened
On July 1, 2025, a senior White House official told CNN the administration was pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles, after a Pentagon review that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed off on. NBC News reported that the delayed shipment included dozens of Patriot interceptors and had been approved under the Biden administration, and that sources said it was the third time Hegseth had stopped aid shipments on his own. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov welcomed the decision. Asked on July 3 why he had paused the shipments, Trump gave the answer quoted above; the same day he said of a call with Putin, "I didn't make any progress with him today at all." On July 7 he said, "We're going to have to send more weapons." Asked on July 8 who ordered the pause, he said, "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" On July 14 he announced that NATO countries would buy U.S. weapons, including Patriot systems, for Ukraine.
Sources
- Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
- US-Ukraine military aid: Pentagon pauses some munitions shipments, including air defense missiles, senior White House official says
- Hegseth halted weapons for Ukraine despite military analysis that the aid wouldn’t jeopardize U.S. readiness
- Remarks Prior to a Working Dinner With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and an Exchange With Reporters
- Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange With Reporters
- Trump touts weapon sales to NATO for Ukraine and threatens Russia with 100% tariffs