Ukraine is forging ahead with plans for joint weapons production with some of its international allies, top officials said, while the U.S. announced it was halting some arms shipments promised to help Ukraine fight off Russia.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that officials are preparing with a sense of urgency for upcoming meetings with European Union countries and other partners to talk about co-operation in weapons manufacturing.
“One of the key topics will be weapons production — our joint investments, joint projects,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address on Tuesday evening.
U.S. officials said Tuesday that the White House was halting some weapons deliveries to Ukraine out of concern that its own stockpiles have declined too far. Certain munitions were longer-term commitments promised to Ukraine under the Joe Biden administration.
The U.S. Defence Department didn’t provide details on what specific weapons were being held back.
“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Elbridge Colby, the Defence Department undersecretary for policy, said officials continue “to provide the president with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires, John Hinkel, on Wednesday to discuss ongoing defence co-operation.
Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Ukrainian parliament’s national security and defence committee, called the decision disappointing.
“It’s painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine, it’s a very unpleasant situation,” Venislavskyi told reporters.
Deputy Foreign Minister Maryana Betsa thanked the U.S. for its continued support, but emphasized the “critical importance” of maintaining previously allocated defence packages, especially for bolstering Ukraine’s air defence.
Democrats criticize ‘mixed messaging’ on war
The United States has been Ukraine’s biggest military backer since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour on Feb. 24, 2022. But under President Donald Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine.
Between March and April, the U.S. allocated no new aid to Ukraine, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute, which tracks such support.
Since Trump took office in January, he has softened Washington’s position toward Russia, seeking a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine and raising doubts about future U.S. military support for Kyiv’s war effort.
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Images provided by Getty Images, The Canadian Press and Reuters.
However, last week Trump said he was considering selling more Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine following a meeting with Zelenskyy.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the foreign relations committee, said in a statement that the Trump’s administration’s “mixed messaging is undermining its own agenda to bring Putin to the negotiating table.”
“The Pentagon is significantly weakening Ukraine’s defence against aerial attacks even as Russia pounds Ukrainian cities night after night, with numerous civilians dead and wounded,” said Shaheen, who represents New Hampshire.
“President Trump pledged just last week to look for additional air defence systems for Ukraine, but [Defence Secretary Pete] Hegseth and Under Secretary Colby seem to be ignoring him. If there is a real concern over stockpiles, the administration should consult with the relevant committee in advance.”
Washington’s latest decision could remove some of the most formidable weapons in Ukraine’s battlefield arsenal, at what appears to be a key point in the all-out war launched by Moscow nearly 3 ½ years ago.
A renewed Russian push to capture more Ukrainian land has put Ukraine’s short-handed defences under severe strain, and Russian missiles and drones are battering Ukrainian cities. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to find a peace settlement, meanwhile, have stalled.
It’s not clear how much weaponry Ukraine possesses or what its most urgent needs are.
European allies asked to step up
As Washington has distanced itself, a bigger onus has fallen on European countries to pressure Russia.
For the first time since June 2022, European countries surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totalling 72 billion euros ($85 billion US) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the U.S., the institute said last month.
Analysts say Ukraine’s European allies can fill some of the gaps and provide artillery systems. But they don’t possess alternatives to the U.S.-made HIMARS missiles and air defence systems, especially Patriots, which are crucial to help defend Ukrainian cities from Russian air attacks.
Earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Kyiv that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly. He was accompanied on the trip by German defence industry representatives.
Ukraine Defence Minister Rustem Umerov announced that draft legislation on joint weapons production with international allies is expected to be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month. The proposed laws were shown to national defence companies on Tuesday, Umerov said.
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. Unable to tackle the strategically significant logistical hub of Pokrovsk directly, Russian forces are attempting to encircle the city.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the Pentagon’s decision will help bring a settlement closer, because “the fewer weapons supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the [war] is.”
