The U.S. will temporarily halt shipments of certain weapons systems to Ukraine, according to White House officials.
Scripps News confirmed the development with the White House on Tuesday.
"This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told Scripps News in a statement. "The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran."
According to reporting from multiple outlets, weapons being halted include munitions for Patriot air defense batteries, artillery rounds and Stinger, Hellfire and AIM-7 missiles. According to the reporting, the Pentagon has paused shipments while it reviews stockpiles of munitions, and may keep shipments paused if levels are found to be too low or if munitions are needed elsewhere.
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Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. began shipments of air defenses, artillery ammunition and other advanced weapons to Ukraine.
There were concerns then, too, that shipments may deplete U.S. stockpiles that may be needed in the event of other conflicts.
President Trump has acknowledged Ukraine's need for weapons systems, but also said the U.S. has need of the same tools.
“They do want to have the anti-missile missiles,” Trump said at the NATO conference in June. “We’re going to see if we can make some available.”
"They’re very hard to get. We need them, too," the president said.
