Hegseth Halts Ukraine Aid Despite Assessment Showing No Threat to U.S. Stockpiles
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth halted a shipment of military aid to Ukraine this week, citing concerns over dwindling U.S. stockpiles—despite a Pentagon analysis concluding that the package would not endanger American military readiness.
The move, which caught the State Department, congressional leaders, Kyiv, and European allies off guard, has sparked bipartisan backlash in Washington, The Gaze reports, citing NBC News.
According to three U.S. officials, senior military officers had reviewed the proposed aid shipment and determined it would not compromise U.S. munitions levels. Nevertheless, the Pentagon proceeded to suspend the delivery.
This marks the third time Hegseth has unilaterally stopped weapons shipments to Ukraine—previous instances in February and May were later reversed.
Critics say the justification for the pause rings hollow. “We are not at any lower point, stockpile-wise, than we’ve been in the 3½ years of the Ukraine conflict,” said Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.
“It was disingenuous of the Pentagon to use military readiness to justify halting aid when the real reason appears to be simply to pursue an agenda of cutting off American aid to Ukraine.”
Smith added that his staff has “seen the numbers” and found no shortage that would justify suspending assistance to Kyiv.
The decision was reportedly supported by Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, who has long advocated for reducing U.S. support to Ukraine in favor of focusing military resources on countering China in the Pacific.
The White House defended the halt as part of an ongoing Defense Department review of military assistance to foreign partners. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell referred to it as a “capability review,” adding at a Wednesday briefing:
“We can’t give weapons to everybody all around the world. Part of our job is to give the president a framework that he can use to evaluate how many munitions we have where we’re sending them. And that review process is happening right now and is ongoing.”
The Pentagon has yet to comment further. Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties are probing whether the delay violates congressional mandates on Ukraine aid and are pushing for a reversal.
As The Gaze previously reported, the United States has halted shipments of certain air defense missiles and precision-guided munitions to Ukraine due to growing concerns about the depletion of its own weapons stockpiles.