US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has once again found himself at the center of a scandal by single-handedly suspending military aid supplies to Ukraine without prior notice to the administration of President Donald Trump. This was reported by CNN on July 8, 2025, citing five sources familiar with the situation. The decision, made last week, caused confusion in the White House, which was forced to hastily explain to Congress and the Ukrainian authorities the reasons for the unexpected pause in arms supplies.

According to CNN, Hegseth did not coordinate his actions with the president or key administration figures, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, who learned of the suspension from the media. This has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans who support aid to Kyiv. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called Hegseth's actions disingenuous, emphasizing that an internal Pentagon audit did not reveal a critical shortage of supplies that could justify the suspension.

"We are not at a lower stock level than we have been in the last three and a half years of conflict," "Smith said.

This is the third time Hegseth has blocked military aid to Ukraine on his own. Similar decisions in February and May 2025 were quickly reversed after the White House intervened, NBC News reported. Sources say Hegseth cited depleted U.S. arsenals, but a Pentagon analysis found that current supplies do not threaten U.S. defenses.

The July 1 suspension affected shipments of Patriot air defense missiles, 155mm artillery shells, Hellfire, Stinger, and GMLRS missiles approved under the Biden administration. Politico reported that the pause was prompted by a stockpile review launched by Hegseth in June. However, on July 7, Trump publicly denied authorizing the suspension and announced the resumption of “defensive weapons” shipments.

"I don't know who decided this, tell me," "Trump said, expressing irritation.