Hegseth withheld Ukraine aid freeze from the White House

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not inform or consult with the White House about halting weapons transfers to Ukraine. Many American politicians learned about this through the press. 

It was reported by CNN.

Who made the decision to stop US aid to Ukraine?

Five sources familiar with the situation told the publication that Pete Hegseth independently decided to suspend military aid to Ukraine. It caused considerable controversy within President Donald Trump's administration, as officials tried to determine the reasons for the suspension of arms transfers and communicate them first to Congress and then to Kyiv. 

On July 8, the President of the United States spoke to reporters and said that America would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine, but did not answer the question of who had approved the suspension of support.

According to the publication, Trump's Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio also knew nothing about it and first learned about the situation from the media. 

Hegseth's unilateral decisions

CNN writes that it is the second time in the last year that Hegseth has independently decided to suspend military aid to Ukraine. The first time this happened was in February, and then the decision was "quickly reversed." 

The situation repeated itself on July 7. Anonymous officials who spoke to the publication said that the decision was made because Hegseth lacks a Chief of Staff and close advisers who could coordinate with other agencies.

As a reminder, when explaining his decision to continue supporting Kyiv, the President of the United States Donald Trump stated that it "was made because of Vladimir Putin's attitude towards people."