Apparently, Hegseth paused weapons to Ukraine—behind Trump’s back
A new report on Tuesday says that President Donald Trump was out of the loop as his own Defense Department made a major decision affecting the security of Ukraine.
Shortly after Trump took office, his administration ordered that arms shipments to the embattled nation be paused. Ukraine has been reliant on arms from the United States to defend its people after Russia invaded in early 2022. The shipments were eventually resumed.
Reuters now reports that Trump had no idea that this major policy was being issued, even though he is the leader of the country and head of the military.
Citing three sources close to the White House, Reuters says that Trump was unaware of the order made by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Other top national security officials who were in a meeting where an aid cutoff was discussed but not ordered were also reportedly unaware of Hegseth’s order.
“Negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine War has been a complex and fluid situation. We are not going to detail every conversation among top administration officials throughout the process,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said to Reuters. The White House told the outlet the Hegseth order was in line with Trump’s directives, but it did not explain why the major move was made outside of the typical decision-making process.
The decision cost U.S. Transportation Command—the agency tasked with transporting the material to Ukraine—$2.2 million, according to records that Reuters saw. The agency now claims the cost was $1.6 million.
The pause came while Ukraine has been intensely fending off Russian aggression in a conflict that has killed thousands. Trump, who has benefitted from Russian interference in American elections, frequently comes down on Russia’s side in disputes and often makes excuses for Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian actions.
Assessing the report, retired Marine and defense expert Mark Cancian told The New Republic, “This is consistent with the administration’s policy to move fast, break things, and sort it out later.”
The aid disruption also came shortly before Trump and Vice President JD Vance verbally ambushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an Oval Office meeting, demanding that he be more publicly grateful for U.S. help. In reality, Zelenskyy has long been effusive in his praise for American help during his nation’s crisis.
Trump’s lack of knowledge of this critical decision raises further questions about his mental capabilities in office. He has made confused public statements on critical issues. During a recent town hall, Trump was asked about Harvard University and then went off on a rant about Harlem, New York.
Trump has also said on several occasions that he is unaware of activities happening in his own administration. In March, when news first broke of the leaked military plans disclosed by senior officials to a journalist via the Signal app, Trump told reporters, “I don’t know anything about it.”
While Trump is apparently oblivious to his administration’s actions (something of which he has accused former President Joe Biden), Hegseth has been involved in various international incidents and scandal after scandal.