This is reported by Kyiv24
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a member of the US House of Representatives, has called on President Donald Trump to hold an urgent briefing regarding the suspension of arms and ammunition supplies to Ukraine. Fitzpatrick made the request public on the social media platform X.
Reasons for Concern Regarding Military Support
“Today, I urged the President to express my serious concern over reports that the United States is withholding critically important defense materials that they promised to provide to Ukraine. This comes at a time when Russia is conducting the largest aerial assault since the beginning of the war, launching over 500 units of weaponry at civilian targets in just one week,” he wrote on X.
Fitzpatrick emphasized that the Department of Defense and the President’s administration must ensure the unwavering commitment of the US to support Ukraine with the necessary resources that the country urgently needs to defend itself against Russian aggression. In his letter, he also noted that the United States must continue to lead in defending freedom and avoid half-measures on this issue.
Pause in Arms Supplies and Ukraine’s Response
On July 2, the White House announced the suspension of supplies of certain types of weapons that had been promised to Ukraine by the Biden administration. This decision was made after the Pentagon acknowledged that US military equipment stocks had significantly decreased. According to White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, after reviewing the Defense Department’s military support programs for other countries, it was decided to “put America’s interests first.” However, Washington did not disclose which specific weapon systems were affected by the restrictions.
According to media reports, this concerns a temporary halt in the supply of dozens of interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems, portable Stinger air defense systems, precision artillery shells, over 100 Hellfire missiles, and AIM missiles.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported that on July 2, the acting US chargé d’affaires John Hinkel was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss further military assistance and defense cooperation amid escalating aggression from Russia.
The Kremlin stated that the reduction of military supplies to Ukraine would allegedly contribute to the completion of the so-called “special military operation.” Ukrainian officials are systematically appealing to Western partners to increase the supply of air defense systems, especially after the intensification of aerial attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian cities.
During a recent press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, President Donald Trump announced that the US is considering the possibility of selling additional Patriot systems to Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the United States has already provided Ukraine with over $66 billion in weapons and military assistance. At the same time, Washington is urging allies, including Eastern European countries, to transfer modern air defense systems and other equipment to Ukraine. However, these countries are reluctant to part with their high-tech defense assets, as they also feel threatened by the Russian Federation.