The White House said on Tuesday that President Trump had paused the delivery of some air defense interceptors and precision-guided bombs and missiles to Ukraine, citing Pentagon concerns that the U.S. weapons stocks were dwindling too low.
Included among the munitions being halted are interceptors for Patriot air defense systems, precision artillery rounds and missiles that the Ukrainian air force fires from American-made F-16 jets, according to Pentagon officials. They have been critical weapons in Ukraine’s efforts to hold off increasingly intense attacks from Russia, at a particularly perilous moment in the three years and four months since Russia invaded.
It was unclear exactly how many weapons were included or how quickly the effect of the pause would be felt on the battleground, though some U.S. officials said on Tuesday that the munitions were not scheduled to be shipped to Ukraine for several months. Only last week, after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in The Hague, Mr. Trump said he was open to selling more weapons to Ukraine. But by that time, the pause was already being planned at the Pentagon.
Administration officials said on Tuesday that the reason for the delay was a concern over shortages of ammunition and air defenses that the United States or allies might need to deal with far-flung global contingencies.
Some of those systems were scheduled for delivery to Ukraine over the next year or so. But the signal to President Vladimir Putin of Russia may be that the United States is gradually getting out of its role as Ukraine’s major supplier of advanced weaponry. That, in turn, may encourage Mr. Putin to drag out talks about a cease-fire, figuring that the Ukrainian forces may soon be starved of ammunition and antimissile systems.
The White House painted the move as a matter of national interest.
“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a D.O.D. review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. “The strength of the United States armed forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran.”
The move seemed to represent a victory for Vice President JD Vance and other officials who have long questioned the value of American support for Ukraine, which is not a NATO ally. When the war began, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, then still a senator, ranked among the strongest supporters for arming Ukraine.
Senate Democrats, however, warned that the pause would hurt Ukraine’s fight on the battlefield.
“The Pentagon is significantly weakening Ukraine’s defense against aerial attacks even as Russia pounds Ukrainian cities night after night, with numerous civilians dead and wounded,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Still, worries about depleting the stockpile of American weapons are not new, or limited to the Trump administration. At the end of the Biden administration, senior officials expressed concerns that American and European arms manufacturers were not keeping up with demand — not only for sophisticated weapons, but also for basics like artillery.
The United States has sent Ukraine a mix of weapons, equipment and munitions from two major sources over the past two years, both initiated during the Biden administration and, for a time, widely supported by Republicans in Congress.
Some munitions are drawn from existing Pentagon stockpiles, with Congress reimbursing the Defense Department to quickly replenish those inventories, often with updated weapons and munitions.
The second stream comes from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, in which the Pentagon finances the acquisition of weapons for Ukraine directly from American military contractors. The firms deliver the munitions to Ukraine over a period of months or years.
Most of the weapons sent from Pentagon stockpiles have been delivered, with the last due to be sent later this summer. The contracted munitions are expected to continue to flow into next year.
It was unclear how many of the paused munitions were from each category. Politico previously reported the halt in some weapons shipments to Ukraine.
When Mr. Zelensky first visited Washington, less than a year into the war, he was given a hero’s welcome, addressed a joint meeting of Congress and was promised support and weaponry by Mr. Biden “for as long as it takes.”
But that enthusiasm has long since waned. And as the last arms packages that were passed during the Biden administration have been drawn down, so has support for sending more.
The Trump administration has not requested any further military aid for Ukraine.
Even as Trump administration officials voiced concern about munitions shortages, the Pentagon said it was prepared to address any global menaces that threatened the country’s security.
“The Department of Defense continues 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,” said Elbridge A. Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy. “At the same time, the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for administration defense priorities.”
Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times. He has reported on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism for more than three decades.
David E. Sanger covers the Trump administration and a range of national security issues. He has been a Times journalist for more than four decades and has written four books on foreign policy and national security challenges.
Tyler Pager is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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