The US has solely about 25% of the Patriot missile interceptors it wants to fulfill Pentagon navy plans, a scarcity that led U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to pause a serious switch of weapons to Ukraine, the Guardian reported on July 8.
The choice to halt the supply, made on July 2, adopted an inside evaluation displaying low stockpiles of important air protection techniques. The depletion was largely attributable to current U.S. operations within the Center East, together with the interception of Iranian missiles after strikes on the American Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, based on the Guardian.
In line with officers conversant in the matter, the Pentagon's munitions tracker, used to measure the minimal provides wanted for U.S. battle plans, confirmed Patriot interceptor ranges had fallen under acceptable ranges. That prompted considerations that sending extra to Ukraine may put U.S. protection readiness in danger, the Guardian wrote.
The freeze reportedly affected Ukraine's two key arms switch strategies: drawdowns from Pentagon stockpiles and the Ukraine Safety Help Initiative (USAI), by way of which the Protection Division orders new weapons from contractors.
As a result of U.S. orders take precedence, Ukrainian requests for brand new weapons, together with Patriot missiles, face years-long delays.
The pause got here at a important time for Kyiv, as Russia intensifies large-scale aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities. With restricted choices to amass precision-guided and different key munitions, Ukrainian forces have more and more relied on Western-supplied air defenses to counter the rising menace.
For its newest assist package deal, the U.S. had deliberate to ship dozens of Patriot interceptors, together with Hellfire missiles, air-to-air Sparrows, GMLRS rockets, and anti-tank weapons, based on the Guardian.
NBC Information reported on July 4 that U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth unilaterally halted a weapons cargo to Ukraine regardless of inside navy assessments displaying the help wouldn’t compromise American navy readiness.
The evaluation concluded that whereas some munitions stockpiles, together with precision weapons, had been low, that they had not fallen under important thresholds.
Amid the continuing questions over Washington's weapons pause, Trump has apparently promised to ship 10 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, Axios reported on July 8. Sources additionally informed the Wall Road Journal (WSJ) that Trump claimed he wasn't behind the choice to halt arms to Kyiv in a current cellphone name with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Kyiv IndependentVladyslav Bandrovsky