The United States has reportedly paused deliveries of certain weapons to Ukraine, redirecting attention toward the dwindling stockpiles of its own military forces, even as Russia escalates aerial attacks on Ukrainian territory. The White House confirmed the news following reports in the press.
“The decision was made to prioritize American interests first,” explained Anne Kelly, Deputy White House Spokesperson, validating media reports. According to Politico, the freeze primarily affects Patriot air defense system missiles, precision artillery shells, Hellfire missiles, and other weaponry used by Ukrainian F-16s and drones.
This move comes amid concerns over the U.S. military’s ammunition reserves, which have been heavily tapped to supply ongoing military aid to Ukraine. It also follows two fruitless rounds of negotiations in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, with Kyiv facing intensified Russian attacks—particularly in the air.
Russia escalates the war, with a 36.8% year-on-year increase in long-range drone attacks in June, according to an AFP analysis. Ukrainian military figures report that Russian forces launched 5,348 long-range attack drones in June—the highest since February 2022—compared to 3,974 in May. These uncrewed aerial vehicles are deployed nightly and tallied every morning by Kyiv. The numbers exclude other types of drones (for reconnaissance, assault, or deception) used extensively across the front lines.
Such raids strain Ukraine’s air defenses and exhaust a population worn down after more than two years of war, sparked by Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022. New strikes were reported this morning, including one at a farm in the village of Borifské in Kharkiv region, killing one person and injuring another. Two other similar attacks occurred in the same area, causing only material damage.
Despite occasional tensions, the Trump administration has continued, at least partially, the military aid shipments initiated under President Joe Biden. Under Biden, Washington has pledged over $60 billion in military support to Kyiv.
“Even if this reduction in U.S. aid does not lead to a collapse of Ukrainian frontlines, it will severely harm Ukraine’s defense capabilities, particularly regarding anti-ballistic missiles and precision strikes,” warned John Hardy, a Russia expert at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). “This decision will result in more Ukrainian soldiers and civilians dying, loss of territory, and destruction of critical infrastructure,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region, stating it was used to supply fuel and lubricants to Russian military units involved in the aggression against Ukraine. Russian authorities have not yet confirmed the raid.
In a rare call, the Russian leader warned his counterpart that any peace agreement in Ukraine must be “comprehensive, long-term, address the deeper causes of the crisis, and be based on new territorial realities,” according to the Kremlin. Since the war began, Moscow has declared the annexation of four additional Ukrainian regions beyond Crimea, seized in 2014. For Vladimir Putin, the war is an “immediate consequence of Western policy” that “ignored Russia’s security interests for years” and “created an anti-Russian spearhead in Ukraine.”