This interruption comes a few days after a meeting between Donald Trump and his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in The Hague, on the sidelines of the NATO summit at the end of June. The Ukrainian President had been calling for the United States for weeks to sell him air defense systems and Patriot missiles, which are essential to effectively counter Russian attacks of ballistic drones and missiles.
The two leaders had agreed to continue discussions with their European partners to strengthen Ukrainian air defense. They also discussed a possible joint production of drones and electronic warfare equipment. After their exchange, Donald Trump was elusive, declaring that the United States “should consider“This possibility. He has obviously been changed since then.
The official reason is therefore that Washington is concerned about the drop in its own ammunition stocks. US military aid to Ukraine, started under the mandate of Joe Biden, is indeed directly deducted from the reserves of the American army.
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Not a total stop at this stage
“There is a Russian military pressure that continues. SO From the Ukrainian perspective, it is worrying“, Analysis Christophe Wasinski, professor in the Department of Political Science at the ULB. The researcher specifies that the material and ammunition which are delivered to Ukraine are, certainly, withdrawn from the stocks of the American armed forces, but not only: another part is also produced by American companies.”At this point, it does not seem to be a total stop of deliveries of military equipment and weapons.“
The stock of American army ammunition has not primarily reserved for Ukraine
According to the researcher, the American decision can in particular be explained by the situation in the Near and Middle East. “”US military equipment is delivered to the Israeli armed forces, which are repressing the Palestinian and Bombing Iran. And moreover, the American armed forces are also involved in A bombing campaign in Yemen where there was obviously a certain consumption of equipment and ammunition.“The White House is therefore more looking at the ammunition and reserves of its army.
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Reorientation of defense policy
But it’s not just that, adds Christophe Wasinski. Behind this decision is Elbridge Colby, under-secretary to the defense of the Pentagon. “”He has the reputation of considering that the central threat to the United States is China. And he is not the only one in the Trump administration.“
With this in mind, Washington is therefore reorienting its defense and security policy, by gradually disengaging from conflicting theaters considered to be secondary to avoid the waste of its military resources.
Elbridge Colby, under-secretary to the defense of the Pentagon, considers China as the main threat to the United States
For the time being, if there is an actor who rubs his hands, it’s the Kremlin. “”The less weapons delivered to Ukraine, the closer is the end of the special military operation“, Haded his spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov. The invasion of Ukraine, and the conflict that followed, has already made several tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, both civilians and soldiers.
