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US paused shipments containing thousands of artillery shells and hundreds of missiles
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Ukraine has summoned the acting US envoy to Kyiv to warn the Trump administration that any “delay or procrastination” in supplying the war-hit nation with weapons will only benefit Russia.
The US has blocked a number of planned shipments to Ukraine that included Patriot air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds, warning that its own domestic stockpiles were running low.
“The Ukrainian side emphasised that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said yesterday.
Ukraine has complained that this pause in military aid has allowed Russian forces to advance further inside Ukrainian territory, ramping up military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine and threatening to expand the fighting.
Russian forces have penetrated up to 7km (4 miles) into the northern Sumy region from different directions along the border and the war’s largest battle is being waged in Donetsk as Russia inches toward its stated goal of capturing all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Trump administration will block delivering to Ukraine some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons as part of its announced pause to some arms shipments to the war-hit nation.
Nearly 8,500 155mm artillery shells, more than 250 precision GMLRS (mobile rocket artillery) missiles, Patriot missiles and 142 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, people aware of US president Donald Trump’s decision told Reuters.
The halt comes amid US concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said.
The details on the weapons in some of the paused deliveries were confirmed by a US official and former national security official familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss what is are being held up as the Pentagon has yet to provide details.
This is a massive setback for Ukraine, which has faced increasing, and more complex, air barrages from Russia during the more than three-year-long war.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined during a briefing yesterday to detail which weapons were being held back but said a pause to consider the health of the US stockpile was necessary.
“I think that for a long time, four years under the Biden administration, we were giving away weapons and munitions without really thinking about how many we have,” Mr Parnell said.
He added, “And I think that this president was elected on putting this country first and defending the homeland.”
Ukraine has summoned the acting US envoy to Kyiv to warn the Trump administration that any “delay or procrastination” in supplying the war-hit nation with weapons will only benefit Russia.
The US has blocked a number of planned shipments to Ukraine that included Patriot air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds, warning that its own domestic stockpiles were running low.
In a statement, it said deputy foreign minister Mariana Betsa expressed gratitude to deputy chief of mission John Ginkel for US support, but warned that a cut-off in aid, particularly air-defence systems, would embolden Russia.
“The Ukrainian side emphasised that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace,” it said.
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv summons US envoy as Trump administration plays down weapon shipments halt – The Independent
