Trump administration resumes sending some weapons to Ukraine after Pentagon pause
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has resumed sending some weapons to Ukraine, a week after the Pentagon had directed that some deliveries be paused.
The weapons now moving into Ukraine include 155 mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS, two U.S. officials told the Associated Press on Wednesday. They spoke on 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 last week, which affected a specific recent shipment of weapons to Ukraine, to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise.
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.”
When 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.
The U.S. has sent more than $67 billion in weapons and military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
