US President Donald Trump will for the first time use his authority to directly send weapons to Ukraine drawn from Pentagon stockpiles, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the decision.
While the Trump administration has so far only delivered weapons approved under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) allows Trump to supply arms to Ukraine in an emergency.
The new shipment could reportedly be worth around $300 million and may include Patriot anti-air missiles and offensive medium-range rockets.
The move would mark a reversal of the Pentagon’s recent decision to halt some deliveries over concerns about depleting domestic stockpiles. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a longtime skeptic of expanded aid to Kiev, reportedly ordered the pause without consulting Trump.
The president confirmed earlier this week that he would send additional arms to Ukraine, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio later told reporters the pause “unfortunately was mischaracterized.”
During his election campaign, Trump criticized Biden’s unconditional aid to Kiev and called Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky “the greatest salesman on earth” for persuading Democrats to keep weapons flowing.
Weapons supplies remain critical as Ukrainian forces continue to lose ground to Russia and face increasing difficulties replenishing their ranks with new conscripts.
Moscow has maintained that foreign arms will not prevent it from achieving its objectives. Last month, President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia considers Western countries supplying weapons to Ukraine as “de facto direct participants in the conflict.”
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