Washington: The Pentagon has paused shipments of air defense missiles and other precision weapons to Ukraine due to concerns over dwindling US stockpiles, according to a report in Politico.
The decision was made by the Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, following a review of munitions stockpiles that raised alarms about the decreasing number of artillery rounds, air defence missiles, and precision-guided munitions, Politico reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
Among the weapons that are being delayed are air defense interceptors that would help knock down inbound Russian drones and missiles, and other munitions, the people said.
Among the delayed shipments are air defence interceptors critical for countering incoming Russian drones and missiles. Russia, which already controls about a fifth of Ukraine, has continued making gradual advances, recently gaining ground in Ukraine's southeastern regions of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, Reuters reported.
Trump, Putin hold phone callPresident Donald Trump pushed for a quick halt to the Ukraine war in a July 3 phone call with Vladimir Putin, while a Kremlin aide said the Russian president reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict’s “root causes.” The two leaders did not discuss a recent pause in some US weapons shipments to Kyiv during the nearly hour-long call, according to a readout provided by Putin aide Yuri Ushakov. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, told reporters in Denmark that he hopes to speak to Trump as soon as Friday about the ongoing pause in some weapons shipments, which was first disclosed earlier this week. |
