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Posted by Scott Lucas | Jul 8, 2025 | 0
L to R: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a Cabinet meeting, February 26, 2025, Washington D.C. (AP)
Monday’s Coverage: Zelensky — “100,000s of Drones” in Deals with Europe and US
Map: Institute for the Study of War
Reversing last week’s sudden order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon will resume the delivery of US weapons to Ukraine.
Hegseth cut the supply after a “review” by the Pentagon’s policy planning director Elbridge Colby, a long-time sceptic of assistance for Ukraine. Arms authoritized by the Biden Administration were held up on the tarmac in Poland.
The weapons included Patriot air defense missiles, urgently needed to protect Ukrainian civilians amid Russia’s record-setting missile and drone strikes; thousands of 155-mm high-explosive Howitzer munitions; more than 100 Hellfire missiles, more than 250 GMLRS rockets; and dozens each of Stinger surface-to-air missiles, AIM air-to-air missiles, and grenade launchers.
See also Ukraine War, Day 1,225: “They Are Going to Lose More Lives” — Trump Administration Cuts Off Weapons to Kyiv
The Pentagon said in a statement on Monday:
At President Trump’s direction, the Department of Defense 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.
Just before the announcement, Trump said the US would send “defensive weapons, primarily”. He told reporters, “We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now.”
Colby’s “review” falsely declared a critical shortage in US stockpiles. A Pentagon assessment found some stocks of precision-guided munitions were at reduced levels, but did not reach a critical minimum.
See also Ukraine War, Day 1,228: Hegseth’s Lie to Cut Off US Arms to Kyiv
The Department of Defense covered itself yesterday, “Our framework for [the President] to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities.”
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Scott Lucas is Professor of International Politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin; Professor Emeritus of International Politics at the University of Birmingham; and editor-in-chief of EA WorldView. He is a specialist in US and British foreign policy and international relations, especially the Middle East and Iran. Formerly he worked as a journalist in the US, writing for newspapers including the Guardian and The Independent and was an essayist for The New Statesman before he founded EA WorldView in November 2008.
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