Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick is urging the White House and Pentagon to explain a recent halt in military aid to Ukraine by expressing “serious concern” over reports that the U.S. is withholding defense material pledged to the war-torn nation.
In a letter sent Wednesday to President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Republican called for an emergency briefing on the decision to pause shipments of weapons.
The halt in shipments of some weapons comes as Russia escalates its summer assault on Ukraine, with hundreds of aerial weapons launched against civilian targets just this week.
“Mr. President, Ukrainian soldiers and pilots are not just protecting their homeland—they are holding the line for the entire democratic world. This is a defining moment: Ukraine’s courage must continue to be met with action, and the United States must continue to lead with clarity and purpose. There can be no half-measures in the defense of liberty. We must, as we always have, stand for peace through strength,” Fitzpatrick wrote in his one-page letter.
The decision to pause aid, which reportedly includes Patriot air-defense interceptors, air-to-air missiles, Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, surface-to-surface rockets, artillery rounds, and Stinger surface-to-air missiles, has drawn criticism from some members of Congress.
The congressman said U.S. military aid has “allowed Ukraine to effectively counter Russian offensive strikes and limit the loss of human life.”
He added, “While the United States needs continue to strengthen our Defense Industrial Base here at home, we can and must simultaneously provide urgently needed assistance to our allies who are defending their freedom from brutal invading dictators. To not do both is unacceptable.”
Various reports said the Pentagon halted deliveries due to concerns about the depletion of U.S. military stockpiles.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa, in a statement, said she spoke with a top U.S. diplomatic official Wednesday and stated “any delay or slowing down in supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace.”
Fitzpatrick, a former FBI special agent who previously served in Ukraine and visited the front lines earlier this year, has been an advocate for supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, which began in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale war in 2022.
Earlier this year, Fitzpatrick called Russian President Vladimir Putin “not a man of his word” and urged the U.S. to “stop being fearful or bowing down to Russia.”
The Hill reported that a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said the U.S. is providing “robust options” to continue military aid while also “rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness.”
The U.S. and other nations have provided hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine over the past decade.
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