Pentagon to offer Trump options for continuing military aid to Ukraine

After the recent pause in military supplies to Kyiv, the Pentagon is preparing to offer U.S. President Donald Trump a range of options to continue military assistance to Ukraine in an effort to help resolve the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Elbridge Colby, the Defense Department’s undersecretary for policy, confirmed that officials are actively working to provide the president with “robust options” to sustain military aid, aligning with Trump’s stated goal of ending the war, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“At the same time, the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for Administration defence priorities,” Colby said in a statement.

Trump recently met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit, where he left open the possibility of supplying Kyiv with additional U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile systems, acknowledging their strategic importance to Ukraine’s defence.

The initial halt in military shipments was first reported by Politico. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has provided over $66 billion in weapons and military support to Kyiv.

Despite strong U.S. advocacy for allies to supply Ukraine with advanced air defence systems, many countries—especially in Eastern Europe—have been hesitant to part with their own high-tech equipment due to security concerns amid the ongoing conflict.

A Pentagon review revealed that inventories of some previously pledged weapons have dwindled, resulting in the suspension of certain shipments. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that the Defense Department has withheld details about which specific arms are affected.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell emphasised that “America’s military has never been more ready and more capable,” noting that forthcoming tax cuts and spending legislation will ensure continued modernisation of U.S. weapons and defence systems to address future threats.

The reduction in U.S. weapon deliveries comes as Russia has intensified aerial bombardments, launching some of the largest attacks of the war to date. This escalation has diminished prospects for renewed peace talks, which have stalled despite previous efforts, including those supported by President Trump.

By Vugar Khalilov