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On Tuesday it was reported that U.S. military aid to Ukraine has been halted, although Kiev received no official notification of the move. Washington’s envoy to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, confirmed the policy decision to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
“This is what ‘America first’ looks like. We first have to take care about the United States’ needs,” Whitaker told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday. “[The Pentagon needs to] make sure that the U.S. has the strategic defense capabilities necessary to project power.”
Whitaker also said that this is what Washington and, interestingly, its NATO allies want.
Notably, on Tuesday an unexpected phone call took place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. The conversation marked the first time since September 2022 that the two leaders spoke. While the heads-of-state found common ground over the Iran conflict, they still held disagreements over the Ukraine conflict, although both showed an inclination toward a peaceful end to the hostilities.
“We have to make sure that we have enough Patriot missiles and we have enough air defense and all the things that we need to ensure our own success on the battlefield,” Trump’s envoy stated.
The choice of stopping the aid deliveries was backed by the Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby after reviewing the Pentagon’s munitions stockpiles. There were concerns that the total amount of artillery rounds, air defense missiles and precision munitions was reducing.
Initially the decision to withhold the aid came in early June, according to three people familiar with the issue, Politico reports.
“[The decision] was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe. The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said.
