New twist: Mr. Trump prepares to send $300 million arms package to Ukraine, reversing the Pentagon's decision
Reuters news agency reported on July 10 that US President Donald Trump will for the first time use his authority to directly send weapons to Ukraine from the Pentagon's stockpile. This information was revealed by two informed sources.
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While the Trump administration has so far only transferred weapons approved under his predecessor, Joe Biden, the Presidential Withdrawal Authority (PDA) allows Mr. Trump to provide weapons to Ukraine in an emergency without going through the normal processes.
The new package is said to be worth around $300 million and could include Patriot air defense missiles and medium-range attack rockets.
The move would mark a reversal from the Pentagon's recent decision to halt some shipments due to concerns about depleting domestic US stockpiles.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has long been skeptical about extending aid to Kiev, ordered the pause without consulting Mr. Trump, according to sources.
Earlier this week, the president confirmed that he would send more weapons to Ukraine, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio later told reporters that the pause was “unfortunately mischaracterized.”
During his campaign, Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Biden for providing unconditional aid to Kiev and called Ukrainian leader Zelensky “the greatest salesman on earth” for convincing Democrats to continue providing weapons.
According to RT, the supply of weapons remains crucial as Ukrainian forces continue to lose ground on the battlefield to Russia and face increasing difficulties in replenishing their ranks with new conscriptions.
Moscow maintains that foreign weapons will not prevent it from achieving its goals. Last month, President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia regards Western countries supplying weapons to Ukraine as “direct, de facto participants in the conflict.”