US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized a pause in weapons shipments to Ukraine last week without informing the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision.
On July 2, the Pentagon abruptly announced it would temporarily withhold shipments of defensive aid, including Patriot missiles, due to concerns over diminishing US stockpiles.
The pause, which was later rolled back by Trump, came at a particularly vulnerable time for Ukraine, as Putin took advantage of the situation to launch record-breaking air attacks.
The Pentagon on Tuesday denied media reports that Hegseth had acted without consulting the president.
But asked by a reporter on Tuesday who had approved the pause, Trump bristled at the question while he was gathered with his cabinet members, including Hegseth: “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” he asked reporters.
Multiple sources, cited by CNN, said the decision had surprised senior national security officials.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who serves as Trump’s national security adviser, and US special envoy to Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, were reportedly not informed in advance.
Both learned of the pause through media coverage, according to a senior official and two of the sources.
Two sources told CNN that Hegseth may have acted without broader coordination due to the absence of a chief of staff or senior advisers around him who might have pushed for interagency consultation.
Shortly after learning of the pause, Trump reportedly told Hegseth to resume at least part of the weapons deliveries – particularly interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, which have played a critical role in defending Ukrainian cities from Russian attacks.
Much of the aid was already in Poland and ready for transfer when it was halted.
It was the second time this year Hegseth had paused weapons deliveries to Ukraine without broader consultation, the report said.
A similar freeze in February was reversed quickly – a pattern that repeated this week when the president ordered shipments to resume Monday night.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said: “The Ukrainians, whether you think it’s unfair that we gave all that money or not, they were very brave, because somebody had to operate that stuff.”
Two sources told CNN that Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is reluctant to hand Moscow a win by cutting off support to Ukraine. The US president hinted at those frustrations publicly.
“We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin,” Trump said Tuesday. “You want to know the truth? He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
The Trump administration reaffirmed on Tuesday that it “never meant” to stop supporting Ukraine – and will continue to help – as the war-torn country defends itself against increasing Russian attacks.
“We’ve been helping them, we’ll continue to help them,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a daily briefing when pressed by Kyiv Post’s correspondent about the Trump administration’s commitment to providing weapons to Ukraine.
“The [US] president feels obviously very passionate and determined regarding the ability of Ukraine to defend itself,” she said.