Latest news with #UkraineSecurityAssistanceInitiative
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
US is redirecting critical antidrone technology From Ukraine to US forces
The Trump administration is redirecting a key antidrone technology earmarked for Ukraine to American forces, a move that reflects the Pentagon's waning commitment to Kyiv's defense. The Pentagon quietly notified Congress last week that special fuzes for ground-based rockets that Ukraine uses to shoot down Russian drones are now being allocated to U.S. Air Force units in the Middle East. The move comes as President Trump said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him in a phone call that Moscow would have to respond forcefully to recent Ukrainian attacks, dampening the prospects for a halt in the war that began in early 2022. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth skipped a meeting Wednesday at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters with European defense ministers on coordinating military aid to Ukraine. Hegseth has warned that European allies must provide the overwhelming share of future military assistance to Kyiv while casting the western Pacific as the Pentagon's 'priority theater." The defense chief went further in an internal memo last month. In it, he authorized the Pentagon's Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, a Pentagon office that seeks to ensure that U.S. military commanders' urgent needs for weapons and logistics are met, to provide the fuzes to the U.S. Air Force, even though they were initially bought for Ukraine. The Pentagon told the Senate Armed Services Committee in the previously undisclosed message that the U.S. military's need for the fuzes was a 'Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue." The Pentagon declined requests for comment. The decision to redirect the component illustrates the scarcity of key defense items as Ukraine steels itself for more Russian drone and missile attacks, while U.S. Air Force units in the Middle East prepare for a possible conflict with Iran or renewed fighting with Houthi militants in Yemen. Supporters of the move say the Pentagon has the flexibility to take such an action under the emergency military spending bill passed last year. But the move had prompted concerns among Ukraine's supporters in Congress, who say that the Pentagon hasn't explained what effect the move would have on Ukrainian defenses or whether the Air Force need is urgent. The Biden administration arranged to send the fuzes along with numerous other weapons systems under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which authorized the spending of billions of dollars in U.S. government funds to buy weapons and components from American defense firms. Though the funds for the program have been expended, deliveries are scheduled to reach Ukraine this year and next unless the Trump administration diverts more systems to fill the U.S. military's inventories. The Trump administration inherited the authority to send Ukraine up to $3.85 billion in weapons from Pentagon's stocks but refrained from doing so. It hasn't asked for more funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The fuzes are intended for the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, a ground-to-air laser-guided rocket for defending against drones. The Pentagon has touted the effectiveness of the rockets. A critical component is the 'proximity fuze," which detonates explosives when the rocket nears a drone. The Air Force has adapted the rockets so that it can be fired by F-15E jet fighter to destroy Houthi or Iranian drones. The system is much cheaper than Sidewinder and AMRAAM missile air-to-air missiles. A photo of an F-15E equipped with the rocket pods were recently posted by the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East. The Senate Armed Services Committee is looking into ramping up production of components for the counterdrone system, including through the current reconciliation bill, a congressional aide said. Write to Michael R. Gordon at
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's Halt on Ukraine Military Aid Puts U.S. Defense Contracts, Palantir at Risk
U.S. President Donald Trump has frozen military aid to Ukraine, just days after publicly confronting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House. The stop has major ramifications for American military industry as well as Ukraine's war effort. Since Russia's February 2022 invasion, the US has promised and paid at least $65 billion in military assistance for Ukraine. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative finances long-term weapon purchases from defense contractors, while the Presidential Drawdown Authority permits quick transfers from U.S. military stockpiles, therefore providing this aid. With about $20 billion already given, more than $31 billion has been promised using drawdown power. Ukraine still awaits a delivery of armored vehicles due in mid-2025. From U.S. and partner defense companies, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative has invested around $33.2 billion for new armaments and military equipment. This longer-term assistance guarantees a supply of contemporary weapons as well as consistent manufacturer income. The stop in U.S. funding might throw off next investment choices and output targets. Key source of combat information and data analytics for Ukraine, Palantir (PLTR, Financials) can find declining demand for its products if Ukraine tries to finance or acquire the technologies without American help. The stop in funding might affect the sources of income for Palantir connected to military contracts. Among the weapons and tools supplied during the conflict include F-16 fighter planes, ATACM missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, short-range air defense interceptors, air-to- ground bombs and artillery. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
All US weapons deliveries to Ukraine stop after Trump gives order to shut off aid
All US weapons deliveries to Ukraine stop after Trump gives order to shut off aid Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump pauses federal aid to Ukraine World leaders are reacting to President Donald Trump's decision to pause federal aid to Ukraine. U.S. weapons deliveries to Ukraine came to an abrupt halt on Monday evening after President Donald Trump ordered a pause on all aid to the war-torn country, the Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday. After the order was given, all U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine came to a stop, as of 6 p.m. on Monday evening, according to a defense official. Planes carrying supplies en route to Ukraine would have had to turn around, the official said. The pause came days after a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday devolved into a shouting match as Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader, claiming he had not thanked the U.S. enough for its support. Trump dismissed Zelenskyy from the White House, canceling a lunch and press conference planned for the visit. Zelenskyy, backed by Ukraine's European allies, had resisted negotiating an end to the war without a security guarantee to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from attacking Ukraine again in the future. But on Tuesday, hours after the aid shipments stopped, he announced he was ready to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, saying it is "time to make things right" with Trump. "None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer," he said. Zelenskyy also left the Oval Office clash without signing an agreement with Trump to grant the U.S. access to some of Ukraine's rare earth minerals. Trump has argued that the deal would indirectly protect Ukraine by intertwining American private business interests with the country, thereby deterring Russian aggression. Although additional Ukraine funding has not been allocated since Trump took office, some funding authorized by former President Joe Biden had yet to be sent. As of Dec. 19, $5.2 billion of that funding was still left, according to the Defense Department. It was unclear, as of Tuesday, whether Ukraine's direct contracts with U.S. weapons manufacturers, procured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, would also be impacted. As of mid-December, $1.7 billion out of the $21.2 billion fund had not been used. Aid pause could be 'detrimental' for Ukraine While Ukraine may not feel the impacts of the U.S. aid freeze on the frontlines immediately, it could affect Ukraine's defensive capabilities most, which could take a "detrimental" toll on civilian casualties, said Karolina Hird, deputy lead of the Institute for the Study of War's Russia Team. Many of the critical missile systems that guard Ukrainian cities against Russian attacks are provided by the U.S., like Patriot batteries and NASAMs. More: Johnson: Zelenskyy has to 'come to his senses' or 'someone else needs to lead' in Ukraine Trump's cutoff of aid ramped up the pressure on European allies to take on the financial burden of supporting Ukraine. On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a plan to mobilize up to 800 billion Euros, nearly $850 billion, for Europe's defense and support of Ukraine in the face of what she called "the most momentous and dangerous of times." The bloc will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, European countries have provided Ukraine with $145 billion in aid. The U.S. has provided more than $120 billion in that time span, according to a tracker run by the Kiel Institute. But a boost in European spending wouldn't compensate Ukraine for the loss of support from the U.S., which supplies some of its most crucial air defense systems, like the Patriot missile defense system. "Ukraine is going to have less protection, because they won't have those sophisticated systems, and the Europeans don't have perfect analogs for these systems yet," Hird said. The U.S. has given Ukraine at least three Patriot batteries and 12 NASAMs since Russia invaded, according to the Defense Department. Patriot systems, the Army's most advanced air defense system, can take down ballistic and cruise missiles, while NASAMs can intercept some aircraft, UAVs, and cruise missiles, according to the Congressional Research Service. The U.S. is also one of the main producers of 155mm ammunition for Ukraine, Hird said. It has provided more than 3 million rounds worth since the start of the war. Ukrainians also won't be able to continue long-range strikes using U.S.-made ATACM missiles. Biden lifted a ban on Ukraine using the weapons to strike deep within Russia's borders in November. Although the U.K. and France have provided Ukraine with Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles, they have a range of around 155 miles, compared with ATACMs, which can reach up to 190 miles. While Russia has made small advances in the past year, they have taken "absolutely staggering" casualties, Hird said. If the pause is not lifted, Ukraine could start to see the effects in June or July, when there are no backups of their weapons supplies.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine was betrayed years ago. Cutting aid is just a final insult
America has supported Ukraine with military aid transfers since the beginning of the war. No longer: Trump has prevented Biden-era defence authorisations from being fulfilled, cutting off Kyiv from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative which allows Ukraine to purchase hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry from US defence companies. Barring a reversal predicated on humiliating grovelling from Zelensky, America's underwriting of the war effort has ended. Understandably, Ukraine views Trump's devastating cut-off of military assistance as an act of betrayal. Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine's Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, claimed that Trump was trying to force Ukraine to capitulate to Russia, warning the cut-off was an even worse foreign policy disaster than the 1938 Munich Agreement, as no-one then claimed that Czechoslovakia was the aggressor against Nazi Germany. While Ukrainians have every right to be outraged by Trump's decision, America's abandonment of Ukraine was set into motion long ago: indeed, it was baked in from the first days of the invasion. For years, the West has given Ukraine enough military equipment to avoid defeat but not the tools that it needed to win the war. A succession of half-measures created countless missed opportunities for Ukraine and enabled a potential ceasefire on President Vladimir Putin's terms. The most striking manifestation of the West's half-hearted support for Ukraine transpired during the fall of 2022. In five days in September 2022, Ukraine's counter-offensive in Kharkiv forced Russian troops to ignominiously withdraw from all positions west of the Oskil River. Ukraine capitalised on this success with victories in Izyum, Lyman and Kherson. Russia's manpower shortages forced Putin to announce a chaotic 'partial mobilisation' drive and war materiel deficits necessitated imports of Iranian drones. A severe rift was also festering between the Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian Ministry of Defence. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was on the verge of implosion, but how did the West respond? With weakness and indecisiveness. While Ukraine lobbied for airtight sanctions against Putin's war machine, Europe continued to purchase Russian gas and the US left nuclear energy giant Rosatom off the sanctions list. Zelensky urged the West to supply Ukraine with Nato-class tanks, long-range missiles to strike Russian targets and F-16 fighter jets. We refused to accede to these urgent requests and caved to Putin's nuclear bluffs. Although the West eventually provided all these technologies to Ukraine, it was too little, too late. By the time Ukraine's counter-offensive began in earnest in June 2023, Russia had built impenetrable fortifications in Zaporizhzhya, conscripted hundreds of thousands of soldiers and sanctions-proofed its military supply chains. Ukraine's dreams of victory were chimeric and by late 2023, Ukraine's soon-to-be-ousted Armed Forces chief Valery Zaluzhnyi was forced to concede that the war had become a stalemate. Even as Russia made incremental gains at a staggering human cost in 2024, the West refused to change tack. According to a recent Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air report, Europe spent more on Russian energy (21.9 billion euros) than on financial aid to Ukraine ($18.7 billion euros). Biden waited until the final days of his presidency to greenlight Ukrainian ATACM strikes on Russia's Kursk region and even the arrival of North Korean forces on the frontlines did not lead to Ukraine securing long-range cruise missiles. The US and Europe favoured a long-term attritional war that would gradually weaken Russia's economy and military capabilities. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin admitted this in April 2022 when he claimed that 'We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.' While Trump has dealt a potentially terminal blow to Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression, the meat-grinder stalemate we see today was of the West's creation. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Ukraine was betrayed years ago. Cutting aid is just a final insult
America has supported Ukraine with military aid transfers since the beginning of the war. No longer: Trump has prevented Biden-era defence authorisations from being fulfilled, cutting off Kyiv from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative which allows Ukraine to purchase hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry from US defence companies. Barring a reversal predicated on humiliating grovelling from Zelensky, America's underwriting of the war effort has ended. Understandably, Ukraine views Trump's devastating cut-off of military assistance as an act of betrayal. Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine's Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, claimed that Trump was trying to force Ukraine to capitulate to Russia, warning the cut-off was an even worse foreign policy disaster than the 1938 Munich Agreement, as no-one then claimed that Czechoslovakia was the aggressor against Nazi Germany. While Ukrainians have every right to be outraged by Trump's decision, America's abandonment of Ukraine was set into motion long ago: indeed, it was baked in from the first days of the invasion. For years, the West has given Ukraine enough military equipment to avoid defeat but not the tools that it needed to win the war. A succession of half-measures created countless missed opportunities for Ukraine and enabled a potential ceasefire on President Vladimir Putin's terms. The most striking manifestation of the West's half-hearted support for Ukraine transpired during the fall of 2022. In five days in September 2022, Ukraine's counter-offensive in Kharkiv forced Russian troops to ignominiously withdraw from all positions west of the Oskil River. Ukraine capitalised on this success with victories in Izyum, Lyman and Kherson. Russia's manpower shortages forced Putin to announce a chaotic 'partial mobilisation' drive and war materiel deficits necessitated imports of Iranian drones. A severe rift was also festering between the Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian Ministry of Defence. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was on the verge of implosion, but how did the West respond? With weakness and indecisiveness. While Ukraine lobbied for airtight sanctions against Putin's war machine, Europe continued to purchase Russian gas and the US left nuclear energy giant Rosatom off the sanctions list. Zelensky urged the West to supply Ukraine with Nato-class tanks, long-range missiles to strike Russian targets and F-16 fighter jets. We refused to accede to these urgent requests and caved to Putin's nuclear bluffs. Although the West eventually provided all these technologies to Ukraine, it was too little, too late. By the time Ukraine's counter-offensive began in earnest in June 2023, Russia had built impenetrable fortifications in Zaporizhzhya, conscripted hundreds of thousands of soldiers and sanctions-proofed its military supply chains. Ukraine's dreams of victory were chimeric and by late 2023, Ukraine's soon-to-be-ousted Armed Forces chief Valery Zaluzhnyi was forced to concede that the war had become a stalemate. Even as Russia made incremental gains at a staggering human cost in 2024, the West refused to change tack. According to a recent Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air report, Europe spent more on Russian energy (21.9 billion euros) than on financial aid to Ukraine ($18.7 billion euros). Biden waited until the final days of his presidency to greenlight Ukrainian ATACM strikes on Russia's Kursk region and even the arrival of North Korean forces on the frontlines did not lead to Ukraine securing long-range cruise missiles. The US and Europe favoured a long-term attritional war that would gradually weaken Russia's economy and military capabilities. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin admitted this in April 2022 when he claimed that 'We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.' While Trump has dealt a potentially terminal blow to Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression, the meat-grinder stalemate we see today was of the West's creation.
