President Trump told reporters Wednesday he hadn’t thought about who inside his administration ordered the pause in shipments of munitions to Ukraine, as the Defense Department is expected to resume weapons shipments to Kyiv.
At a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, the president was asked who had approved the weapons halt; he replied, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
A reporter on Wednesday asked the president if he had been able to figure it out, and he said it wasn’t top of mind.
“Well, I haven’t thought about it. Because we’re looking at Ukraine right now and munitions. But … no, I have not gone into it,” Trump said.
He was then pressed on what that says about his administration that such a big decision can be made without his knowledge, and Trump insisted he signs off on big decisions.
“I would know. If a decision was made, I will know. I’ll be the first to know. In fact, most likely, I’d give the order. But I haven’t done that yet,” he said.
The Defense Department last week halted the delivery of some air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine, citing concerns about U.S. military stockpiles being depleted. The White House at the time confirmed the decision, saying it was made after a review of the U.S. military’s backing of other nations around the world.
Reversing course days later, the Pentagon said Tuesday it would send “additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops,” citing Trump’s direction for the move.
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