As three US officials told the media, the promised weapons deliveries to Ukraine would not threaten US arms stockpiles.
US officials previously attributed the decision to a recent arms stockpile review, but neither the Department of Defense nor the White House provided further comments.
As Adam Smith, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, now emphasizes, the Pentagon is using the weapons stockpile as an excuse to cut supplies to Ukraine. He believes that the real reason for this decision is a general desire to reduce the amount of aid to Ukraine,
“In terms of inventory, we are not at a lower level than at any other time in the last three and a half years of the Ukraine conflict,” Smith told NBC News.
Several sources familiar with the situation have confirmed to the media that the arms embargo was a unilateral decision by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett. This is the third time he has done so - similar decisions were previously made in February and May. Both times, these decisions were canceled a few days later.