Trump approves part of Zelenskyy's military aid request for Ukraine - WP
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump (Getty Images)
After six months of skepticism from the White House toward Kyiv and a friendly stance toward Moscow, President Donald Trump and leading Republicans have shifted course. The White House is preparing to send additional weapons to Ukraine, and Congress plans to pass tougher sanctions against Russia, reports The Washington Post.
The changes come amid growing frustration from Trump over Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to discuss ways to end the war against Ukraine seriously. Trump promised last year to stop the conflict quickly, but failed.
A senior White House official stated that the president agreed to some Ukrainian military aid requests based on a detailed list provided by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in The Hague last month.
On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced that they would attempt to pass a law this month that would give Trump the authority to impose sanctions on buyers of Russian energy.
Resuming aid
"We're looking at Ukraine right now and munitions," Trump told reporters on July 9 ahead of a White House lunch with African leaders.
The promise came a day after Trump publicly and sharply criticized Putin, saying he throws a "lot of bulls."
"He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting.
Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Putin. The two spoke by phone last week. Since then, Trump’s rhetoric toward Putin has hardened significantly.
“There's a general frustration that it’s just not moving as quickly as possible — and that maybe pushing in one direction will help pull them to the negotiating table,” said an anonymous senior White House official.
Specific requests
At NATO, the Ukrainians "were asking for very specific things, and the president granted some of those things," the official added, declining to specify which weapons were approved.
Zelenskyy has long sought additional Patriot missile defense systems, which he says play a key role in protecting Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.
Since the Thursday phone call between Putin and Trump, Russia has launched some of the most intense strikes in the war against Ukraine, including 728 drones from Tuesday to Wednesday — a record number, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Pause in aid
The future of US military aid to Ukraine was questioned last week after the Pentagon, following a review of US military stockpiles and global assistance, noted that some weapons destined for Ukraine might be needed for other US priorities. Officials said a decision was made to pause some aid temporarily.
The White House said last week that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the order to halt part, but not all, of the military assistance.
However, a senior White House official stated that weapons shipments were never officially halted and that aid continues to flow to Ukraine.
A weapons supply review began in June after Hegseth signed a memorandum following consultations with the White House and other Pentagon officials, including Elbridge Colby, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, a senior defense department official reported.
According to the official, the memorandum did not call for a specific drawdown or suspension of ammunition shipments. It was issued to implement a mechanism where each type of ammunition undergoes additional review. The audit aims to align with Trump’s future intentions regarding aid to Ukraine.
"If the president wants to send things, we are poised to do that," the senior defense official said.
He added that Hegseth and Colby agreed on the memorandum when it was signed and still share the same position.
Several Pentagon officials said as of July 9, more than a week after initial reports of the pause, it remained unclear whether any aid had been suspended or for how long.
Two defense department officials, speaking anonymously, said some military personnel in the command chain might have delayed shipments of certain ammunition types pending clarification of the senior leadership's position.
Sanctions on Putin
In Congress, Republican leaders previously expressed doubts about the sanctions bill proposed by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal. The bill calls for new sanctions on buyers of Russian energy. Some lawmakers feared it might tie Trump's hands and hinder his efforts to foster dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv.
In April, Thune supported the bill but said he needed to consult with the White House before a vote.
Now, both he and Johnson said they will push the measure forward, reflecting Trump's tougher stance on Moscow.
"Vladimir Putin has shown an unwillingness to be reasonable and to talk seriously about brokering a peace, and I think we have to send him a message," Johnson told reporters.
Thune said in a Senate speech that lawmakers have "made substantial progress" on the bill and that it could come to a vote this month.
The bill would reduce Russia's revenue from energy exports by imposing a 500% tariff on imports into the US from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, and uranium. The Senate bill has over 80 supporters.
Some Republicans expressed concern over Hegseth's decision to pause aid to Ukraine and praised Trump for apparently changing his stance.
