The United States has resumed the delivery of crucial weaponry to Ukraine, just one week after a surprising Pentagon directive temporarily halted some shipments. The resumption comes as Ukraine continues to face intensified Russian attacks.
The weapons now flowing into Ukraine include 155 mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS. The exact timing of when these latest shipments began moving remains unclear, the Associated Press reported, citing sources.
The pause last week was ordered by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who stated the move was to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles. This decision reportedly caught the White House by surprise, although the Pentagon has since denied that Hegseth acted without consulting President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Monday that the US will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv. “We have to,” Trump said. “They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. We’re going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily,” he added.
The pause came at a difficult moment for Ukraine, which has faced increasing and more complex air barrages from Russia during the more than three-year-long war.
Trump, speaking at the start of a dinner he was hosting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, vented his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has struggled to find a resolution to the war in Ukraine but maintains he’s determined to quickly conclude a conflict that he had promised as a candidate to end on Day One of his second term.