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Admin Resumes Sending Ukraine Weapons 07/10 06:23
The Trump administration has resumed sending some weapons to Ukraine, a week
after the Pentagon had directed that some deliveries be paused, U.S. officials
said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration has resumed sending some weapons
to Ukraine, a week after the Pentagon had directed that some deliveries be
paused, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
The weapons heading into Ukraine include 155 mm munitions and
precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS, two officials told The Associated
Press on the condition of anonymity to provide details that had not been
announced publicly. It's unclear exactly when the weapons started moving.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the pause on some shipments last
week to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that
caught the White House by surprise.
A White House official speaking Wednesday on the condition of anonymity said
there was never a "pause" in shipments, but a review to ensure U.S. military
support aligns with its defense strategy. The official said the Pentagon never
announced a pause.
In a press briefing with reporters last week, though, Pentagon chief
spokesman Sean Parnell said he could not "go into detail about what weapons
were paused and when and what we're providing and when. Ultimately, the
president and the secretary will make those decisions about what happens with
those weapon systems."
The pause affected Patriot missiles, the precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire
missiles, Howitzer rounds and more, taking not only Ukrainian officials and
other allies by surprise but also U.S. lawmakers and other parts of the Trump
administration, including the State Department.
It was not clear if a pause on Patriot missiles would hold. The $4 million
munition is in high demand and was key to defending a major U.S. air base in
Qatar last month as Iran launched a ballistic missile attack in response to the
U.S. targeting its nuclear facilities.
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the U.S. would continue to
deliver defensive weapons to Ukraine. He has sidestepped questions about who
ordered the pause in exchanges with reporters this week.
"I would know if a decision is made. I will know," Trump said Wednesday. "I
will be the first to know. In fact, most likely I'd give the order, but I
haven't done that yet."
Asked a day earlier who ordered the pause, he said: "I don't know. Why don't
you tell me?"
Trump has privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for
announcing the pause -- a move that he felt wasn't properly coordinated with
the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The Pentagon has denied that Hegseth acted without consulting the president,
saying: "Secretary Hegseth provided a framework for the President to evaluate
military aid shipments and assess existing stockpiles. This effort was
coordinated across government."
It comes as Russia has fired escalating air attacks on Ukraine, with a
barrage that the largest number of drones fired in a single night in the
three-year-old war, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday.
Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir
Putin, saying he wasn't happy with him.
"Putin is not, he's not treating human beings right," Trump said during a
Cabinet meeting Tuesday, explaining the pause's reversal. "It's killing too
many people. So we're sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I've
approved that."
The 155 mm artillery rounds have become some of the most used munitions of
the war. Each round is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) long, weighs about 100
pounds (45 kilograms) and is 155 mm, or 6.1 inches, in diameter. They are used
in Howitzer systems, which are towed large guns identified by the range of the
angle of fire that their barrels can be set to.
Howitzer fires can strike targets up to 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 kilometers)
away, depending on what type of round and firing system is used, which makes
them highly valued by ground forces to take out enemy targets from a protected
distance.
The U.S. has provided more than 3 million 155 mm rounds to Ukraine since
Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. It has sent more than $67 billion
in overall weapons and military assistance to Ukraine in that period.
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