Jul 3 — The decision of the Pentagon to freeze weapon transfers to Ukraine came as a surprise even to people who are usually closely briefed on such matters, including members of Congress, State Department officials, and key European allies of the US, said Politico, referring to “six people familiar with the situation.”

On July 2, Politico shared information that the Pentagon has halted shipments of some air defense missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine due to worries that US weapons stockpiles “have fallen too low.”

Politico noted that the pause was driven by Elbridge Colby, Pentagon policy chief, and a small circle of advisers.

Even allies of President Donald Trump were disappointed by the move, and accused officials such as Colby of pushing it forward without notifying the rest of the administration.

“I’m not even sure (Secretary of State Marco) Rubio was consulted on this one. There’s internal division in the White House,” said Michael McCaul, a member of the US House of Representatives for Texas.

“Currently, at the working level, Ukraine and the US are clarifying all the details of the defense support, including the air defense component. One way or another, we must ensure protection for our people,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, in reaction to the Pentagon’s decision.

Politico, citing anonymous sources, said both the White House and the State Department resisted the notion that the munitions pause caught administration officials off guard.

Other US officials said Pentagon leadership did not seek input from the State Department, the US embassy in Kyiv, or Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg’s team before pulling back a shipment of critical arms.

The Wall Street Journal said the shipments include Patriot air-defense missiles, Hellfire missiles, some 8,500 Howitzer rounds, and other ammunition. Some were already in Poland awaiting delivery.

Over the past day, Russian forces attacked four settlements in Kharkiv Oblast, injuring two people. They launched 39 unguided aerial missiles, four aerial guided bombs, 11 Shahed drones, and four FPV-drones at the region, said governor Oleh Syniehubov.

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