A temporary halt in American weapons shipments to Ukraine in early February, initiated by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth without the knowledge of the President or senior national security officials, has exposed significant communication failures within the Trump administration’s decision-making process on Ukraine policy.
According to internal US military and government sources cited by Reuters the order to suspend 11 cargo flights carrying artillery shells and ammunition came directly from Hegseth’s office. The flights, bound for Ukraine via hubs in Poland, had been scheduled to depart from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and Al Udeid Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. The aid had been previously authorised under the Biden administration.
The order was not documented in writing and came as a verbal directive from the Secretary of Defense to the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM). It took senior figures in the White House, Pentagon and State Department by surprise. Questions flooded into Washington from Ukrainian officials in Kyiv and logisticians in Poland as to whether the pause signalled a broader policy shift.
The flights were reinstated within days, and no formal explanation was initially offered. According to TRANSCOM records reviewed by Reuters, the cancellation cost the Department of Defense approximately $2.2 million, though a Pentagon spokesperson later stated the chargeable cost was $1.6 million.
The incident followed a 30 January Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump, Hegseth, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg and other top officials. During the meeting, the idea of suspending military aid to Ukraine was discussed. However, multiple sources familiar with the conversation confirmed that Trump did not issue any directive to stop the deliveries.
Subsequent reports indicate that President Trump was unaware of Hegseth’s action, as were other officials present at the meeting. The White House later claimed that Hegseth had been acting under Trump’s general guidance to “pause” aid to Ukraine, although no formal mechanism was in place for such a directive and the order appears to have been implemented without the requisite interagency coordination.
“This points to a chaotic structure where even senior officials are not aligned on fundamental national security decisions,” said one official familiar with the process. The absence of standard coordination procedures among defence, diplomatic and executive branches has raised concern in both Washington and among allied governments in Europe.
Ukrainian authorities, faced with a delay in critical weapons deliveries, were left without clear answers. A source close to Kyiv’s diplomatic contacts confirmed that US officials later attributed the pause to “internal politics”. The 11 flights in question resumed by 5 February, according to TRANSCOM records. However, the confusion surrounding the episode prompted renewed diplomatic concerns at a time when Ukraine was engaged in heavy fighting against Russian forces in the east and around Kursk.
The disruption preceded a broader, officially declared halt to US aid to Ukraine, announced by the White House on 4 March. That freeze, which was formalised after President Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, aligned with the administration’s broader review of America’s foreign military assistance.
Inside the Pentagon, the episode has aggravated existing internal tensions. Several of Hegseth’s advisers were escorted out of the Department of Defense on 15 April amid accusations of unauthorised disclosure of classified material. Among them was Dan Caldwell, a known critic of continued US aid to Ukraine, who served as one of Hegseth’s key policy advisers. Hegseth himself remains under scrutiny, including from Congress, over his handling of classified communications.
Sources told Reuters that the Secretary may have misinterpreted informal White House discussions as authorisation to act. A small group of Hegseth’s advisers—many of whom have not previously held government roles and hold long-standing views against US involvement in Europe—had encouraged a suspension of aid to Ukraine. Their position aligns with the foreign policy stance of Vice President JD Vance and a growing faction of Republican lawmakers calling for a reduced international security footprint.
Two sources familiar with the discussions denied that the suspension constituted a true policy shift. One described the move as a “logistical pause” intended to reassess the operational flow of military aid. However, the lack of formal notification and coordination suggests otherwise.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who was reportedly unaware of the order, intervened to resume the flights. He has since left his post and is expected to be nominated as US Ambassador to the United Nations.
The shipments in question had been approved by the previous administration and passed through legislative authorisation in Congress. Despite the temporary disruptions, deliveries have since resumed. No new aid packages have been announced.
The revelations underline a deeper challenge in the Trump administration’s approach to national security, where ad hoc decisions and miscommunications among senior officials can result in policy reversals with strategic implications.
At a time when negotiations for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine are being led by Kellogg and businessman Steve Witkoff, the lack of policy clarity in Washington has placed additional strain on US diplomatic efforts and led European allies to question America’s long-term commitments in the region.
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