A week after the Pentagon paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine due to supply constraints, the US resumed transfers of artillery shells and rockets to Kiev.
US officials told the Associated Press on Wednesday that 155mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS will resume flowing to Ukraine. GMLRS can be fired from the HIMARS launchers that the US provided to Ukraine.
The move is a quick reversal after the Defense Department briefly paused shipments of Patriot missiles, GMLRS, Hellfire missiles, Howitzer rounds, and air-to-air missiles. Pentagon officials stated that the shipments were halted due to a supply issue, as the department assesses that it has only 25% of the Patriot missiles needed for US defense plans.
During Donald Trump’s dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the president told reporters that he would “send some more weapons” to Ukraine.
Following the announcement, Trump reportedly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he would send 10 Patriot interceptors to Kiev “immediately.” Additionally, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was considering sending a new Patriot battery to Kiev, which has lost several Western-supplied Patriot systems to Russian airstrikes throughout the war.
In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that the US did not have any additional Patriot batteries to send to Ukraine.
The US used a significant number of Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors to defend Israel it launched an unprovoked war against Iran last month, placing further strain on the dwindling munitions stocks.