Air defence missiles among weaponry U.S. is withholding from Ukraine: sources

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will hold back delivering to Ukraine some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons as part of its announced pause to some arms shipments amid U.S. concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said.

The details on the weapons in some of the paused deliveries were confirmed by a U.S. official and former national security official familiar with the matter. They both requested anonymity to discuss what is are being held up as the Pentagon has yet to provide details.

The pause includes some shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds.

Elbridge Colby, Defence Department undersecretary for policy, said the decision to halt some weapons comes as Pentagon officials have aimed to provide Trump “with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end.”

“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 defence priorities,” Colby added in a statement.

Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, blasted the move that came just days after Russians forces launched one of the biggest air assaults on Ukraine since it launched the war more than three years ago.

“U.S. made air defence systems, including the Patriot platform, are the centerpiece of Ukraine’s defences against Russian strikes. They work. They save lives every day,” the Ohio Democrat said. “But there are no parallel defensive alternatives for Ukraine if the U.S. stops supplying these vital munitions.”

One of the officials said other weaponry being held up includes the AIM-7 Sparrow — a medium-range radar homing air-to-air missile — as well as shorter-range Stinger missiles and AT-4 grenade launchers.

The Pentagon review that determined that stocks were too low on some weapons previously pledged comes just over a week after Trump helped forge a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end their 12-day conflict.

The U.S. has provided provided air defence support to Israel, Qatar and other Mideast neighbours. It’s unclear if that conflict had any impact on the Trump’s move in Ukraine.

The U.S. deployed air defence systems as it knocked down an Iranian ballistic missile assault last month launched on the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The retaliatory strike from Tehran against the U.S. military installation came days after Trump ordered a barrage of strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites.