Pentagon given opportunity to return weapons already allocated for Kyiv to US arsenals – media
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby has drawn up a memorandum that gives the Pentagon the authority to return weapons intended for Ukraine to the U.S. warehouses, CNN said on Friday, citing sources.
According to one of the sources who familiarized himself with the document, the memorandum gives the Defense Ministry the right to take back weapons intended for Ukraine. This step undermines U.S. President Donald Trump's assurances that the United States is trying to give Ukraine what it needs, the source added.
However, the sources explained that the Pentagon has not yet stopped supplying any weapons to Ukraine.
However, the channel's interlocutors stated that it was unclear whether Kyiv would receive weapons under the new Pentagon policy, which is provided for by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI): according to it, the U.S. administration does not supply weapons already in stock, but purchases new weapons.
In July, it became known that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decided to suspend the supply of certain types of weapons to Ukraine, relying on Colby's data. Later, CNN notes, Trump canceled this decision.
At the same time, the category of weapons that, according to Colby, may be in short supply for the U.S. military included missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and other weapons. As a result, in July, Hegseth suspended the transfer of dozens of such missiles to Kyiv.
On July 11, Trump announced that U.S.-NATO allies would purchase weapons from Washington, which could later be transferred to Ukraine. Official consent to purchase weapons from the United States was then given by Germany and several Scandinavian countries.
The sources added that the Pentagon is working with NATO to develop a system for selling weapons to Europeans, which can then go to Ukraine. It is planned to create a NATO bank account, where these funds will go. Initially, it is planned to invest $10 billion in the project. Kyiv will have to transfer a list of desired weapons to NATO, and Supreme Commander of NATO European Forces Alexus G. Grynkewich will decide whether the United States has enough necessary equipment in its arsenals before selling it to Europe.