US restarts weapons shipments to Ukraine after Trump reversed Pentagon pause

WASHINGTON — The US has resumed sending military aid to Ukraine after President Trump reversed a decision by the Pentagon to stop shipments of weapons the war-torn country needs to defend against Russia’s intense aerial assaults, according to US and Ukrainian officials.

The restarted aid was en route to Ukraine last week when US defense officials abruptly stopped delivery — without first consulting the White House.

Some of the aid had already made it as far as Poland.

The packages include precision-guided rockets known as Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), which are used in Patriot air-defense systems to shoot Russian missiles out of the sky.

Also included are 155mm munitions for howitzers, which Ukraine uses to defend its territory against invading Russian ground forces.

Trump has spoken in recent weeks about wanting to boost Ukraine’s Patriot supply, telling a Ukrainian journalist in a heartwarming exchange at The Hague late last month that he was “going to see if we can make some available.”

“You know, they’re very hard to get. We need them too,” the president said at the time. “We were supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective — 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective. And they do want that more than any other thing, as you probably know.”

The renewed shipments come at a critical moment in Russia’s war on Ukraine. On Tuesday night, Moscow launched its largest air assault to-date featuring 728 Shahed and decoy drones along with 13 cruise and ballistic missiles.

That barrage broke a record set just days before, on July 4, when Russia sent 539 drones and 11 missiles into Ukrainian airspace.

On Tuesday, the president had vented his simmering frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin — who Trump said has been giving him “bulls—” about his intentions to end his war.

“A lot of people are dying and it should end,” the president complained to reporters during a Cabinet meeting. “We get a lot of bulls— thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

He reiterated the sentiment on Wednesday, telling reporters at the White House that he has been “letting people know I’m not happy about what’s going on.”

“They’re losing now, I’ve been saying 5,000, now it’s up to 7.000 — think of it, 7,000 people a week on both sides — 7,000 people. Young, mostly military people,” he said. “Young souls are dead and dying, and it should be stopped. It should be stopped. Very sad to see what’s happening.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top advisor, Andriy Yermak, thanked Trump for resuming the weapons shipments in an exclusive interview with The Post Tuesday.

“We would be happy if in this war with Russia against Ukraine, President Trump helps us to achieve a just and strong, durable peace,” he said. “His pressure is working.”

With Post Wires.