Donald Trump told reporters that he didn’t know a promised shipment of weapons to Ukraine was paused by the Pentagon a week ago, news that also surprised the State Department, lawmakers, and Ukraine.
When asked about the weapons, Trump said he is sending defensive weapons to Ukraine. Asked who ordered the pause if he didn’t, Trump replied “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
According to reports and sources inside the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the decision to pause the shipment on his own, a move that served to benefit Russia despite Trump’s recent cold shoulder towards Putin and the war.
This is the third time that Hegseth has attempted to deprive Ukraine of government-approved support. His past two attempts were shortly reversed.
