Translated with AI
US President Donald Trump's decision to resume defensive arms supplies to Ukraine does not indicate a strategic turn toward consistent support for Kyiv, the British publication The Economist reports.
As the publication notes, Trump's statement on July 7 about the need to transfer weapons to Ukraine came a few days after an unexpected suspension of deliveries, which caused bewilderment not only in Kyiv, but also among Washington's allies in Europe. Just a few hours after the president's statement about the resumption of military aid, the US Department of Defense confirmed that deliveries would continue.
According to analysts at The Economist, the Pentagon's official argument about the need to "review stockpiles" was used more as a pretext, since the main weapons for Ukraine come from American contractors, not from army arsenals. In support of this, the publication points out that supplies to Israel, for example, were not interrupted even during its military actions with Iran.
In addition, journalists believe that Trump's sudden change in position was a demonstration of his unpredictability and "a humiliation of the Pentagon," since the head of state overturned the decision of his own defense department. The publication emphasizes that even the closest advisers cannot predict the steps of the current president in advance.
Evaluation of political logic
The Economist suggests that Trump's initiative is aimed not so much at supporting Ukraine as at preventing its final defeat, which would be a reputational blow to the American president himself. According to the authors, the head of the White House does not want to spend significant resources on Kyiv's victory, but is also not interested in its military collapse during his presidency, which could be more destructive to the US image than the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
At the same time, the publication recalls that tens of billions of dollars in aid previously approved by Congress have still not been distributed, and the new US budget for 2026 proposes a reduction even in those funds that were provided for in the basic part of the Pentagon budget.
Trump's Promises and New Deliveries
Earlier, Trump had spoken out harshly about Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions, saying he was disappointed with his desire to "go all the way." He also confirmed his intention to send new weapons to Ukraine: "We have to do that. They have to be able to defend themselves. They are being hit very hard right now."
Later, the US Department of Defense officially announced that, at the direction of the president, preparations had begun to send additional defensive weapons to Ukraine.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump is considering the possibility of supplying Kyiv with another Patriot air defense missile system, which would be the first major system transferred to the Ukrainian side at the initiative of the Trump administration, without the participation of the previous White House team.
