As Washington halts critical interceptor-missile shipments, U.S. State Department insists that America hasn’t ended weapons assistance for Ukraine

Meduza.io

At a press briefing on Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce rejected media reports suggesting that Washington has halted all weapons supplies to Ukraine. She argued that the suspension of shipments through Poland is more limited in scope than reports suggest, telling journalists, “This is one aspect, one situation, one event that has been changed.” Bruce emphasized: “This is not a cessation of us assisting Ukraine or of providing weapons. This is one event in one situation. We’ll discuss what else comes up in the future, but be wary of painting too broad a brush there.”

Earlier in the day, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration had halted deliveries of some weapons systems to Ukraine to preserve America’s own stockpiles. The suspended shipments include Patriot interceptor missiles that are critical for defending Ukrainian cities and infrastructure against Russia’s intensifying airstrikes. According to NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, the U.S. munitions now being held in Poland include 30 Patriot missiles and hundreds of other missiles.

During Wednesday’s press briefing, Bruce deferred to the U.S. Defense Department on the specifics of the arms pause. On the subject of Washington’s support for Ukrainian air defenses, she said, “The president has also indicated his remaining commitment [sic] regarding Patriot missiles.” Later, after the press briefing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that his administration is working with American officials to “clarify all the details of defense support, including air defense.”