JULY 8, 2025
Vehicles burn following a Russian strike on Odesa – Reuters
Donald Trump has pledged to send more weapons to Ukraine, reversing a decision to pause shipments to Kyiv days earlier.
Speaking to reporters during a dinner with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, the US president said that Ukraine was “getting hit very, very hard”. He added: “They have to be able to defend themselves.”
“We’re going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons primarily,” Mr Trump said on Monday evening.
The Pentagon later confirmed the US would send additional weapons to aid the country in the war with Russia.
“The Department of Defence is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops,” Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.
Sources familiar with the matter said the halted shipments of American military aid to Ukraine could resume after a series of high-level meetings in Italy and Ukraine over the coming week, Politico reported.
The reversal comes after the Pentagon last week announced it would halt deliveries of key military hardware, including air defence systems and precision-guided artillery.
PAC-3 interceptors for the Patriot air defence system were reported to have been among the weapons affected, as well as Stinger man-portable air defence systems and AIM missiles for Ukraine’s F-16 planes and NASAMS advanced surface-to-air launchers.
Anti-tank weapons such as recoilless AT4 launchers and rounds for the guided multiple launch rocket system were also held up.
On Tuesday last week, the White House said it would “put America’s interests first” following a review of the nation’s military support and assistance to other countries.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call on Friday that he was not responsible for the halt in weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
Mr. Trump is understood to have said that although he had directed a review of Pentagon stockpiles after recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, he had not ordered a freeze on military aid.
The decision to halt sending weapons to Kyiv was reportedly taken by Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary. NBC News reported that the move “blindsided” Congress, the State Department and US allies and that analysis showed that the aid would not compromise Washington’s own supplies of ammunition.
Mr. Hegseth was seen sitting to the right of the president and nodding along as he announced the policy reversal.
The US president has long been sceptical of sending military aid to Ukraine, and had not announced any new packages since taking office in January. Under former President Joe Biden, $65 billion in military aid was pledged to Ukraine.
Mr. Trump’s pledge to send more weapons to the war-torn country comes as Ukraine faces one of the most intense waves of Russian missile and drone attacks since 2022.
Mr. Zelensky said on Monday that Moscow had launched more than 1200 drones, 39 missiles and nearly 1000 glide bombs over the past week alone, with civilian areas taking the brunt.
At least 11 civilians have been killed and more than 80 others have been injured in the latest strikes, including seven children.
Mr Trump expressed rare dissatisfaction with Putin on Monday, saying: “I’m not happy with President Putin at all.”
The US president added that thousands of Russians and Ukrainians were losing their lives every week.
“I’m stopping wars and I hate to see people killed,” he said.
Courtesy/Source: The Telegraph
