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\u200bUkraine summoned a top diplomat from the US embassy on Wednesday after the White House abruptly halted shipments of several high-value weapons to the country\u200b, raising concerns about Kyiv\u2019s defensive posture as Moscow\u2019s summer offensive gains ground.<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s foreign minister Andriy Sybiha\u200b called the US embassy\u2019s deputy chief of mission in Ukraine, John Hinkel, to the ministry of foreign affairs\u00a0\u200bin Kyiv to urgently discuss military assistance and defence co-operation, according to a\u200b statement shared with the Financial Times.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Any delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine\u2019s defence capabilities only encourages the aggressor to continue the war and acts of terror, rather than seek peace,\u201d the statement said. <\/p>\n
Among the weapons affected are interceptors for Patriot air defence systems, precision-guided artillery shells and missiles launched by Ukraine\u2019s F-16 fighter jets, according to senior US officials. The move was driven by concerns over Washington\u2019s own military readiness with stockpiles running too low, they said. <\/p>\n
Washington\u2019s decision will send a chill across Ukraine at a precarious time for Kyiv, as it relies on the arms for air defence and frontline support. It comes three days after Russia\u2019s largest combined missile and drone bombardment<\/a> on Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion, a sharp escalation that has further dimmed already faint hopes of a negotiated end to the war. <\/p>\n \u2018\u2018We counted on many of those systems as they were promised,\u201d said a Ukrainian official involved with their country\u2019s military strategy, adding that it would expose civilian infrastructure to attack. \u201cThat significantly affects our planning.\u201d<\/p>\n The weapons affected include dozens of PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defence systems, dozens of Stinger man-portable air defence systems, precision-guided artillery shells, more than 100 Hellfire missiles, and AIM missiles launched by Ukraine\u2019s NASAMS and F-16 fighter jets, according to the officials. <\/p>\n Anti-tank systems such as the AT4 grenade launcher have also been affected, while some 250 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rounds used to strike ground targets accurately at long distances have been held up.<\/p>\n The White House declined to confirm the specific weapons systems that were stopped. The Pentagon is still offering options for aiding Ukraine militarily, but is \u201cexamining and adapting its approach\u201d, said Elbridge Colby, Pentagon under-secretary of defence for policy. Colby dismissed criticism of the move as an attempt to \u201cportray division [within the Pentagon] that does not exist\u201d.<\/p>\n Politico earlier reported the halt of some weapons to Ukraine.<\/p>\n The decision to withhold the weapons came in early June but is just now coming into force, a person familiar with the matter said. Some shipments were already en route to Ukraine when they were halted, according to that person. <\/p>\n Russia has enhanced its Iranian-style attack drones in recent months, enabling them to strike with greater speed and lethality deep into Ukrainian territory. Moscow has expanded production of the drones, saturating Ukrainian defences and forcing Kyiv to use increasingly scarce interceptors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Russia has also increased the frequency and size of its air attacks<\/a> significantly, launching a record 5,438 drones against Ukraine in June, according to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, or nearly a 30 per cent increase from the 4,198 drones launched in March. Russia can now attack Ukraine in a day with as many drones as it did in a month compared with a year ago, Kyiv\u2019s air force data shows.<\/p>\n Ukraine has experienced just two days without Russian drone and missile attacks over the past year and a half, foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said on Monday.<\/p>\n Alongside its attack drones, Russia often launches a menacing mix of cruise and ballistic missiles. This adds to the difficulty facing Ukraine\u2019s air defence units as they try to intercept them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe absence of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles will lead to an increase in successful Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, which will lead to an increase in civilian casualties,\u2019\u2019 said Viktor Kevlyuk, a military expert at the Kyiv-based Centre for Defence Strategies. \u2018\u2018The absence of GMLRS missiles will limit the ability to deliver missile strikes on targets in the operational depth.\u201d<\/p>\n European and Asian sources could compensate for some of the reductions, but it would be harder for Ukraine\u2019s army in the meantime, he said.<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump has long urged Russia and Ukraine to negotiate a ceasefire and end a war<\/a> that began with Moscow\u2019s annexation of Crimea in 2014 before the Kremlin\u2019s full-scale invasion in 2022 brought about the bloodiest war on European soil in generations. <\/p>\n