Donald Trump said he “doesn’t know” who ordered the pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine last week.
The Pentagon announced on June 30 that it would hold back some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons pledged to Kyiv because of concerns that American stockpiles were running short on supply.
Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday (8 July) who authorised the pause, he appeared annoyed and replied: “I don’t know, you tell me.”
The US president made a U-turn on Monday (7 July) and pledged more arms to Ukraine, stating that “Putin is not treating human beings right”.
Reports emerged that US defence secretary Pete Hegseth did not tell the White House before pausing those weapons shipments, but this was denied by the Pentagon.