The US has halted the delivery of several types of expensive weapons, raising concerns about Kyiv's defensive posture amid moscow's mounting summer offensive. Some military aid shipments have been halted on way to Ukraine, citing Washington's concerns about its dwindling weapons stockpiles and its own military readiness, the Financial Times reports.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it was clarifying the status of the shipments, but there was no official word on the suspension or change of previously agreed military aid. The publication recalls that the decision to suspend the arms shipments was made in early June but only came into effect now, a source familiar with the situation said. According to the source, some of the shipments were already on their way to Ukraine when they were halted.
The publication reports that Washington's decision will affect Ukraine at a difficult time for Kyiv, as it relies on weapons for air defense and frontline support. This came three days after russia's largest combined missile and drone bombardment of Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion and a sharp escalation that "further dimmed already faint hopes for a negotiated end to the war."
"We counted on many of those systems as they were promised. This significantly affects our planning," said a Ukrainian official involved in Ukraine's military strategy, adding that it puts Ukraine's civilian infrastructure at risk.
According to officials, these weapons include dozens of PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defense systems, dozens of Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems, precision artillery shells, more than 100 Hellfire missiles and AIM missiles launched by Ukrainian NASAMS and F-16 fighter jets.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on July 2, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told NBC News that the United States had decided to halt the delivery of some of the weapons to Ukraine.
On July 2, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that there had been no official notifications from the United States about the suspension or revision of the schedules for the supply of defense assistance to Ukraine.
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