Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the move would “ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops”. He added that the White House framework for vetting global arms transfers “remains integral to our America-First defense priorities”.
Trump previewed the decision on Monday night during a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling reporters the United States was “going to send some more weapons” because Ukrainian forces “have to be able to defend themselves” against intensifying Russian air strikes.
“They’re getting hit very, very hard,” he said, noting that “so many people” were dying.
The president’s promise followed an ABC News interview in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complained that his military was still waiting for 20,000 US anti-drone missiles diverted last week to the Middle East.
Zelensky said the Iranian Shahed-type drones Russia has deployed “can only be countered if promised weapons arrive on time”.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered that diversion as part of a broader Pentagon review that temporarily halted shipments of Patriot, NASAMS and HAWK air-defense systems to Kyiv.
Officials said the pause, confirmed by the White House on July 1, was intended to gauge whether the US retained enough munitions for its own training needs and potential contingencies.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly at the time framed the decision as “putting America’s interests first”. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte later acknowledged Washington’s stockpile concerns but urged continued support for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it received no formal notice of a slowdown and sought clarifications from US counterparts. Zelensky pressed Trump directly in a July 4 phone call, urging a resumption of deliveries and further sales.
Trump had briefly frozen aid once before, after a contentious Oval Office encounter with Zelensky in March, but relented when Republican lawmakers objected.
Pentagon officials say the fresh authorization covers air-defense missiles and other “primarily defensive” equipment. They gave no timetable or quantities but stressed the shipments would flow “without delay”.
(jh)
Source: PAP, Ukrainska Pravda, Independent