Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly authorized a pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine without informing the White House. The decision triggered internal confusion and required explanations to Congress and Ukrainian officials.
What Happened: President Donald Trump distanced himself from the move during a on Tuesday Cabinet meeting. When asked if he approved the pause, Trump said the U.S. would continue sending defensive weapons to Ukraine. Pressed on who authorized the halt, Trump replied, “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”
The episode highlights policy-making challenges within the Trump administration, particularly at the Defense Department under Hegseth, CNN reported, citing sources. This marked the second time this year Hegseth halted Ukraine weapons flows without advance notice to senior national security officials.
The first pause occurred in February and was quickly reversed, according to CNN. Similarly, Trump announced Monday night that weapons shipments would resume despite Hegseth’s earlier authorization of the halt.
The weapons package had been allocated by the previous administration and was en route when stopped. In a Friday call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump downplayed his role in the decision, according to the report.
Trump appears less inclined to give Russia a “win” by halting military aid as he has soured on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin,” Trump said Tuesday. “You want to know the truth? It’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Why It Matters: The Pentagon suspended shipments after Trump requested an assessment of U.S. weapons stockpiles during their NATO summit trip. With Iran and Israel exchanging attacks, Trump wanted to ensure adequate munitions for regional U.S. troops.
Meanwhile, Hegseth has separately moved to accelerate drone technology deployment, signing memos to rescind restrictive policies on drone production. The move boosted drone stocks, including Red Cat Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:RCAT), AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) in after-hours trading.
The controversy comes as Hegseth has taken a hawkish stance on China, warning at Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue that Beijing’s potential military move against Taiwan represents an “imminent” threat. He urged Indo-Pacific nations to increase defense spending and reduce dependence on U.S. protection.
Read Next:
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock/Joshua Sukoff
