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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to discuss the abrupt halt in some key US weapons deliveries to Kyiv in a call on Friday, according to people familiar with the planning, who said the Ukrainian president will also raise potential future arms sales.
Ukraine summoned a senior US diplomat on Wednesday after it was caught off guard by the Pentagon’s decision to stop delivering several advanced weapons systems. Zelenskyy has been lobbying to buy US Patriot defence missiles, including in a meeting during last week’s Nato summit that Trump described as “very nice”.
Ukrainians were alarmed by the pause in deliveries of weapons including some now being held in Poland while Russia intensifies a summer offensive that involved its largest aerial attack of the war last weekend. Zelenskyy has said he wants to buy 10 Patriot systems for $15bn to defend against Russian drones and missiles.
Trump suggested during the Nato summit that he would consider selling Patriot interceptors to Kyiv, but said supplies were low. Defence department spokesman Sean Parnell said on Wednesday the halt in deliveries came after a “capability review” conducted “to ensure US military aid aligns with our defence priorities”.
The timing of the meeting could change, said the people familiar with the planning, who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to discuss it publicly. The White House and Ukraine’s presidency did not respond to requests for comment on the planned conversation.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha called the acting head of the embassy, John Ginkel, to the foreign ministry on Wednesday to underscore the importance of US military assistance. He said the ministry warned that “any delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities only encourages the aggressor to continue the war and acts of terror”.
The Pentagon is concerned about its own stockpiles, which officials said had fallen to critical levels. Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte told Fox News on Wednesday he understood Washington’s need to carefully manage its reserves, but said Ukraine “cannot do without all the support it can get”.
Zelenskyy said on Wednesday evening he had held meetings with his defence and foreign ministers to discuss Ukraine’s relations with the US. Kyiv was “clarifying all the details of the defence support”, he said. “One way or another, we must ensure protection for our people.”
In Washington, lawmakers and former diplomats criticised the Pentagon for halting weapons that had already been committed to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has accepted many of Trump’s proposals since the White House first suggested an unconditional ceasefire in March. The Trump administration pressured Kyiv into holding the first face-to-face negotiations with Moscow in three years by temporarily pausing weapons shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukraine in early March.
Those talks have stalled over the maximalist demands of President Vladimir Putin, who said last month that the “whole of Ukraine” was Russia’s, and that his forces would continue their advance.
Ukrainian officials said the aerial attacks were meant to sow terror and destroy critical infrastructure, while forcing them to use up their limited air defences. Sybiha, the foreign minister, said Russian forces had in June launched more than 330 missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, as well as 5,000 combat drones and 5,000 gliding bombs.
The suspended shipments include Patriot interceptors, Stinger air defence systems, guided artillery shells and munitions used by F-16s and Nasams, according to senior US and Ukrainian officials.
More than 100 Hellfire missiles, some 250 GMLRS rounds for long-range precision strikes and anti-tank systems such as the AT4 launcher were also held back. Deliveries of some weapons have continued.
Additional reporting by Guy Chazan in New York
