Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly approved a stoppage of weapons shipments to Ukraine last week without notifying the White House beforehand, "setting off a scramble" within the White House.
CNN reported Tuesday that the unexpected decision forced a flurry of internal efforts to determine the reason for the pause and to brief both Congress and the Ukrainian government.
President Donald Trump distanced himself from the announcement Tuesday. When asked at a Cabinet meeting if he had authorized it, Trump replied vaguely that the United States would continue sending defensive arms to Ukraine.
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When pressed by a reporter on who actually approved the pause, he said: “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”
The CNN report noted that this incident highlights what several officials describe as a chaotic policy-making approach within his administration, especially at the Pentagon under Hegseth’s direction.
This marks Hegseth’s second unilateral decision this year to suspend arms deliveries to Ukraine, once again surprising top national security leaders.
Those earlier in the year resolved the pause quickly — paralleling Monday’s turnabout, when Trump publicly declared that weapons transfers would resume, even though Hegseth had initially approved the hold-up.
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Neither U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Ret. Gen. Keith Kellogg nor National Security Advisor/Secretary of State Marco Rubio were informed in advance, per the report.
Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson told CNN that Hegseth "provided a framework for the President to evaluate military aid shipments and assess existing stockpiles," and insisted it was a "coordinated" federal effort. Wilson elaborated that Hegseth established a structure for review of arms transfers and inventory levels, noting that this process involved collaboration among various federal agencies.
When questioned by CNN about whether Hegseth had alerted the White House before initiating the pause, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the Pentagon had carried out a comprehensive review “to ensure all support going to all foreign nations aligns with America’s interests.”
She emphasized that Trump “has made the decision to continue providing defensive weapons to Ukraine to help stop the killing in this brutal war, which the Pentagon has said they are actively working on.” She added that "the President has full confidence in the Secretary of Defense" in spite of Hegseth's unilateral decision.
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