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Donald Trump was caught off-guard by the Pentagon’s decision to announce a pause in some weapons deliveries last week to Ukraine, three people aware of the situation have said.
One of the people described Mr Trump, who privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials, as being caught “flat footed” by the announcement.
The Trump administration is in the eye of a storm after the Pentagon announced last week that it would hold back some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons pledged to Ukraine because of what US officials said were concerns that American stockpiles were running short on supply.
Mr Trump marked a U-turn on Monday and said the US will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, effectively reversing the move, as he showed signs of growing frustration with the Russian leader.
In a televised meeting of top officials, Mr Trump said: “We get a lot of bull**** thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless”.
On the war front, Polish and allied aircraft were activated in the early hours today after Russia launched air strikes hitting western Ukraine, officials said.
Pentagon says it’s going to resume shipments to Ukraine
The Pentagon said late on Monday that at Donald Trump’s direction, it would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine “to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops”.
The weapons pause announced last week impacted shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds and more, taking not only Ukrainian officials and other allies by surprise but also US lawmakers and other parts of the Trump administration, including the State Department.
Still, spokesperson Sean Parnell added that its review for Mr Trump to evaluate military shipments worldwide continues as part of “America First” defence priorities.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether defence secretary Pete Hegseth consulted with the White House prior to pausing weapons shipments and whether or not those shipments have now resumed.
It’s also unclear which weaponry would now be sent, though Mr Trump said that the US will primarily be assisting Ukraine with defensive weapons.
A 436th Aerial Port Squadron ramp services Airman stages a cargo loader with palletised ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine during a foreign military sales mission at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware (Reuters)
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 05:58
US envoy Kellogg to attend Ukraine aid conference in Rome
US president Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg will attend an international aid conference on Ukraine in Rome on 10-11 July, an Italian government source has said said, a day after Donald Trump said the US would resume sending weapons to Kyiv.
The US attempts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine through diplomacy have largely stalled and Mr Trump said Russian president Vladimir Putin did not appear to be looking to stop the conflict, after the two spoke late last week.
US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg speaks at the Brussels Forum in a panel on Euro-Atlantic security and Ukraine in Brussels (Reuters)
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 05:55
Ukrainian soldier dies weeks after release from Russian captivity – report
A Ukrainian soldier has died of injuries sustained under torture less than a month after his release from Russian captivity, a Ukrainian media outlet, Suspilne, has reported.
Valery Zelensky, 57, spent 39 months in Russian captivity and was part of the landmark thousand for thousand prisoner deal on 25 May. He died just 22 days later.
Mr Zelensky’s unit delivered weaponse to Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, his daughter told the the outlet. His family thought he was missing in action. Upon returning, he met his grandson for the first time.
Doctors initially treated him for suspected pancreatic issues, before his condition severely deteriorated. A medical report listed extensive injuries, according to the Kyiv Independent.
A number of Ukrainian soldiers have died following their return from Russian captivity after the UN commission reported last year that prisoners of war were facing “brutal treatment inflicting severe pain and suffering during prolonged detention, with blatant disregard for human dignity.”
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 05:27
Three killed in Ukrainian attack on beach in Russia’s Kursk
A Ukrainian drone attack on a beach in the Russian city of Kursk killed three people, including a Russian serviceman engaged in rescue operations, and injured seven, acting regional Governor Alexander Khinshtein said early this morning.
The attack had been carried out deliberately in an area frequented by families in the region that borders Ukraine, Mr Khinshtein said.
Five of the seven injured, including a 5-year-old child, were in a serious condition in hospital.
He said one of the dead was a member of Russia’s National Guard who had been trying to evacuate people from the scene.
“He had arrived at the beach with his comrades after people began reporting about the drone attack,” the acting regional governor said. “The senior sergeant had begun to evacuate people when a second explosion occurred. Unfortunately, he did not survive.”
Mr Khinshtein also said a Ukrainian drone had attacked a hospital in the town of Rylsk, closer to the Ukrainian border than the city of Kursk, injuring two people, blowing out windows and setting a roof ablaze.
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 05:16
Kremlin: ‘We believe the US sanctions on Russia are illegal’
The Kremlin has commented on US president Trump’s involvement between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow hinted at a change in its relationship with the US, with the potential of beginning trade trade and economic relations.
They also called US sanctions on Russia “illegal”, decrying them for harming both Russian and American businesses.
“But at the moment, the United States is implementing a number of restrictions. We believe that these sanctions are illegal, and they harm not only our entrepreneurs, but also the entrepreneurs of the United States,” Dmytry Peskov said.
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 05:02
Trump says US will be sending more weapons to UkraineTrump says US will be sending more weapons to Ukraine
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 04:52
Trump says he gets a ‘lot of bull**** thrown by Putin’
US president Donald Trump continued his tirade against his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as he faced delay in ending the Ukraine war while Moscow amped up attacks on its smaller neighbour.
In a televised meeting of top officials, Mr Trump said: “We get a lot of bull**** thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless”.
The US president said he is “looking at it very strongly” to impose further sanctions on Russia, without sharing further details but added that any action would come as “a little surprise”.
He has threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia’s oil industry to try to prod Putin into peace talks.
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House (AP)
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 04:50
Russia says drones headed for Moscow destroyed
Russia’s air defence units destroyed two drones that were heading towards Moscow, the mayor of the Russian capital Sergei Sobyanin said this morning.
Mr Sobyanin did not report any damage in his post on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia halted flights for about half an hour overnight at the Sheremetyevo international airport outside Moscow, to ensure air safety, it said on Telegram.
File: Fragments of the Ukrainian fallen drone, lie on the ground in Krasnogorsk, just outside Moscow (AP)
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 04:50
Trump was not consulted by Pentagon on abrupt move to halt weapons to Ukraine
President Donald Trump’s decision to send more weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week – a move he felt wasn’t properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The Trump administration is in the eye of a storm after the Pentagon announced last week that it would hold back some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons pledged to Ukraine because of what US officials said were concerns that American stockpiles were running short on supply.
Mr Trump marked a U-turn on Monday and said the US will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, effectively reversing the move.
Two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the sensitive internal discussions, said there was some internal opposition among Pentagon brass to the pause – coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby – before it was announced.
One of the people described Trump as being caught “flat footed” by the announcement. The White House did not respond to queries about whether Mr Trump was surprised by the Pentagon pause.
US president Donald Trump speaks next to defence secretary Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC (Reuters)
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 04:49
Poland scrambles aircraft as Russia launches strikes on Ukraine
Polish and allied aircraft were activated in the early hours today to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched air strikes targeting western Ukraine, near the border with the Poland, the Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said this morning.
At 0215 GMT, most of western Ukraine had been under air raid alerts for nearly three hours following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Arpan Rai9 July 2025 04:45