'We haven't' — Trump denies US pausing weapons to Ukraine, despite Pentagon decision to halt shipments

'We haven't' — Trump denies US pausing weapons to Ukraine, despite Pentagon decision to halt shipments

U.S. President Donald Trump brushed off a reporter’s question on July 3 about pausing weapons deliveries to Ukraine, claiming Washington is “giving weapons” to Kyiv.

The Pentagon previously confirmed that the U.S. has already halted some military aid shipments to Ukraine in order to conduct what it calls a “capability review” of its own stockpiles.

“Why did you pause weapons shipments to Ukraine?” a reporter asked Trump as the president prepared to board Air Force One.

“We haven’t,” Trump replied. “We’re giving weapons.”

Trump then offered a contradictory answer, saying the U.S. is “trying to help” Ukraine while also claiming that former U.S. President Joe Biden depleted the country’s weapons stocks with military aid to Kyiv and that Washington must defend its own interests.

“But we’ve given so many weapons — but we are giving weapons, and we’re working with (Ukraine), we’re trying to help them,” Trump said.

“But we haven’t… You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves."

Trump then asked the reporter which media outlet he represented.

“The New York Times,” the journalist said.

“Ah, no wonder,” Trump replied.

Ukraine scrambles to clarify extent of US military aid pause and ‘whether everything will continue’
When the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) halted the transfer of critical air defense missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, Kyiv and its partners were caught off-guard and are now left scrambling for clarity on the scope and length of the Trump administration’s decision. The White House confirmed the halt after a July 1 report by Politico said shipments were paused due to concerns over the size of domestic stockpiles. The decision “was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD rev
'We haven't' — Trump denies US pausing weapons to Ukraine, despite Pentagon decision to halt shipmentsThe Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta
'We haven't' — Trump denies US pausing weapons to Ukraine, despite Pentagon decision to halt shipments

Reports that the U.S. had suddenly paused some weapons shipments — including deliveries of desperately needed air defense missiles — left officials in Kyiv scrambling for answers. Trump’s response provides little clarity and even less reassurance to Ukrainians facing increasingly deadly Russian missile attacks night after night.

The decision to halt the shipments “was made to put America’s interests first following a (U.S. Defense Department) review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement after Politico broke the story on July 1.

The Washington Post later reported that a shipment of U.S. weapons, including advanced air defense systems and precision missiles, was halted in Poland where it was awaiting delivery to Ukraine.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, like Trump, insisted that the U.S. was not pulling support from Ukraine.

“This is not — I will reinforce this — this is not a cessation of us assisting Ukraine or of providing weapons,” Bruce told reporters at a briefing.

“This is one event in one situation, and we’ll discuss what else comes up in the future. But be wary of painting too broad a brush there."

Trump’s remarks about the weapons shipments followed an update on his July 3 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things,” he said.

Their conversation brought the Kremlin no closer to agreeing to a ceasefire, according to Trump.

“No, I didn’t make any progress with (Putin) today at all,” he said.

Ukraine war latest: Putin tells Trump Russia won’t back down from its war aims in Ukraine
Key developments on July 3: * Putin tells Trump Russia won’t back down from its war aims in Ukraine * Deputy commander of Russian Navy killed in Ukrainian strike in Kursk, Russian official confirms * Ukraine signs major drone co-production deal with US Swift Beat, Zelensky announces * Russia targets Ukrainian conscription offices to disrupt mobilization, military spokesperson says after Poltava attack * ‘One of Russia’s most critical targets’ — Ukraine confirms strike on missile battery pl
'We haven't' — Trump denies US pausing weapons to Ukraine, despite Pentagon decision to halt shipmentsThe Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk
'We haven't' — Trump denies US pausing weapons to Ukraine, despite Pentagon decision to halt shipments