Pentagon's secret pause on Ukraine aid sparks chaos
Immediately after taking office in January, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth issued an order to halt arms supplies to Ukraine without the knowledge of the U.S. President, Reuters reports. The transports were resumed a few days later, following the intervention of former Trump advisor Mike Waltz.
What you need to know
- In January, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ordered a halt to aid for Ukraine. Donald Trump was not aware of the issue.
- The deliveries were restored following the intervention of former Trump advisor Mike Waltz.
- The halt in transport flights cost the Pentagon $2 million.
According to the agency, although it is not known exactly when Hegseth issued the verbal order to suspend arms supplies, it led to the cancellation of 11 flights transporting American weapons and ammunition from bases in Delaware and Qatar, which reportedly cost the Pentagon over $2 million.
According to sources cited by the authors of the text, Hegseth issued the order after a meeting in the Oval Office where the war in Ukraine was discussed, but no decisions were made, and Trump learned about the halt in transport only later.
At the meeting, Hegseth, a former breakfast television presenter on Fox News, reportedly had a note prepared by his advisors calling for a stop to arms supplies to increase pressure on Ukraine regarding peace negotiations.
Ultimately, Reuters writes, the supplies were restored within a week, and according to one of the agency's interlocutors, this happened after the intervention of former White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who learned of the issue from Pentagon officials. Hegseth’s order caused confusion and raised concerns in Kyiv, but Ukrainians were later told the pause in deliveries was due to "internal policy," Reuters writes.
Was Hegseth mistaken?
Some of the agency's sources claim that Hegseth misinterpreted the outcomes of discussions at the White House. The agency notes, however, that Pentagon chief advisors — among them former advisors to Vice President J.D. Vance — are lobbying behind the scenes to reduce support for Ukraine.
Reuters also emphasizes that, under Hegseth and his inexperienced associates, there is chaos and factional fighting within the Department of Defense.
Military aid to Kyiv was halted for a week in March again after a dispute between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump and Vance at the White House, but has continued since. However, it's with weapons from packages approved by former President Joe Biden.
The White House did not directly comment on the matter but did not deny the agency's reports.
"Negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine War has been a complex and fluid situation. We are not going to detail every conversation among top administration officials throughout the process," said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
