White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the decision “puts America’s interests first” following a Defense Department assessment of US military support for allies around the world.
The review, she added, covered “our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe.”
A US official told CBS News the pause was triggered by fears that existing reserves were running too low but gave no details of the types or quantities of weapons affected.
The Trump administration gave no immediate timetable for the suspension or clarification on when shipments might resume.
“The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,” Kelly said, pointing to last month’s US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.
In a separate statement, Defense Department undersecretary for policy Elbridge Colby said the Pentagon was still providing President Donald Trump with “robust options” to aid Kyiv while “rigorously examining and adapting” its approach to safeguard force readiness for other priorities.
Washington has sent tens of billions of dollars in arms to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Deliveries were previously frozen for about a week in early March, when the White House also halted intelligence sharing after a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The hold — which affected aid already earmarked by the Biden administration — was lifted once Kyiv signaled willingness to discuss a ceasefire that never materialized.
In late April, the two governments reached a preliminary deal granting the United States access to Ukraine’s mineral reserves; Ukrainian officials said US contributions would take the form of military assistance to a joint investment fund.
Ukraine receives roughly 20 percent of its hardware from the United States, 25 percent from European partners and produces the remaining 55 percent domestically, according to Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank cited by CBS.
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Source: PAP, CBS News
Click on the audio player above for a report by Michał Owczarek.