Hegseth's order to cancel arms supplies to Ukraine took the White House by surprise - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Due to Hegseth's order, 11 arms shipments to Ukraine were stopped, causing concern in Kyiv and Poland. The White House was unaware of this decision.
Approximately a week after Donald Trump began his second term as president, the US Armed Forces issued an order to three cargo airlines operating flights from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and the US base in the United Arab Emirates: to stop 11 flights with artillery shells and other weapons heading to Ukraine. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
According to the publication, within a few hours, anxious requests were received in Washington from Ukrainians in Kyiv and from officials in Poland, where supplies were being coordinated. Who ordered the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) to stop the flights? Was this a complete cessation of aid? Or only partial?
Senior national security officials - in the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department - could not answer. But within a week, the flights were resumed.
According to TRANSCOM records, the verbal order came from the office of Pete Hegseth, the Minister of Defense. The cancellation occurred after a meeting in the Oval Office on January 30, where Trump, Hegseth, and other senior officials discussed Ukraine. According to two sources, the idea of stopping aid to Ukraine was voiced, but the president did not issue any order to stop it.
Trump was not aware of Hegseth's order, nor were other officials present at the meeting, according to three sources familiar with the situation. The White House was asked about this information, and they told Reuters that Hegseth acted on Trump's behalf to suspend aid to Ukraine, without explaining why key officials were unaware of this.
According to TRANSCOM documents, the cancellation of the flights cost $2.2 million. The command itself stated that the actual amount was $1.6 million, because one of the 11 flights did not entail any costs.
The official cessation of military assistance, approved under the Biden administration, was announced on March 4.
Five sources confirmed the several-day pause, which indicates confusion in the formation and implementation of national security policy. The Pentagon recognizes this confusion, with many officials complaining about internal contradictions, long-standing conflicts, and inexperienced staff.
It is unclear when exactly Hegseth's office gave the verbal order to TRANSCOM. According to two sources, Ukrainian and European officials began asking about the pause on February 2. TRANSCOM documents mention a verbal order from "SECDEF" (Secretary of Defense), and indicate that flights resumed on February 5
The suspension of supplies caused concern in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials tried to get information from the administration, but there were few answers. In subsequent conversations, this was explained by "internal politics," a Ukrainian source said.
It is unknown whether the 11 flights were the only ones scheduled for that week, whether there were accumulations in Poland, and whether deliveries continued despite the TRANSCOM order.
These facts became known against the background of turmoil in the department: on April 15, several of Hegseth's advisers were removed from the Pentagon for leaking classified information. Hegseth himself continues to be under the supervision of Congress.
The canceled flights contained weapons approved by the Biden administration. Reuters was unable to determine whether Hegseth or his team realized how their order would actually affect.
According to three sources, Hegseth misinterpreted the discussion with the president.
Four other sources said that a small group of Pentagon employees who had no government experience and opposed aid to Ukraine advised Hegseth to consider stopping supplies.
Two others denied that aid had actually been stopped, calling it a "logistical pause."
"They just wanted to figure out what was going on, but it was taken as: "We need to stop everything"", one source said.
Canceled flights
Hegseth came to the meeting with Trump on January 30 with a memorandum prepared by advisers, which spoke of suspending aid to gain an advantage in negotiations with Russia.
They discussed US policy toward Ukraine, possible strengthening of sanctions against Russia. But Trump again refused to order a halt to aid.
The decision to freeze support for an ally is usually made collectively and with presidential approval. This time it was not.
The pause occurred at a critical moment, when Ukrainian forces were losing ground in eastern Ukraine and fighting for the Kursk region.
Advisers close to Trump learned about the pause and discussed resuming supplies with him. According to TRANSCOM, 11 flights were canceled. Reuters previously wrote about the pause, but Hegseth's role was not disclosed.
Whether Trump later questioned Hegseth is unknown. One source said that national security adviser Mike Waltz intervened to have the cancellation reversed. Waltz was fired on Thursday and is scheduled to be appointed US Ambassador to the UN.
Growing disputes
When Trump came to power, aid to Ukraine continued, and he promised to end the war or at least negotiate a truce. His envoys Keith Kellogg (a supporter of Kyiv) and Steve Witkoff (a friend of Trump) tried to negotiate.
In the Pentagon, Hegseth's advisers were preparing plans to reduce support for Ukraine. These employees adhere to isolationist views, some were advisers to Republicans who advocate the "America First" policy.