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The Senate is seeking to rein in the Trump administration’s policy toward Ukraine, which has oscillated between support and sudden withdrawal, leaving allies and officials guessing.
After President Donald Trump recently agreed to resume sending weapons to Ukraine, the Senate’s annual defense policy bill would curb the kind of executive branch adventurism that has sparked bipartisan concern, particularly regarding Pentagon decisions.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), unveiled Friday after bipartisan negotiations by the Senate Armed Services Committee, includes specific guardrails on U.S. military cooperation. One provision stipulates that the secretary of defense cannot unilaterally cease military intelligence sharing and targeting cooperation with Ukraine.
This move follows a March episode in which the Trump administration abruptly paused both intelligence support and weapons shipments to Ukraine while the president pursued backchannel diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though the freeze was later lifted, the incident alarmed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
TRUMP REVEALS NATO SALE TO BOOST ARMS TO UKRAINE AS PUTIN LAUNCHES OVERNIGHT MATERNITY HOSPITAL STRIKE
The NDAA also “reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States to assist Ukraine in maintaining a credible defense” and boosts the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to $500 million.
The bill bars Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from reducing U.S. force posture in Europe or relinquishing the U.S. role as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander without an impact analysis and certification to Congress that such changes align with U.S. interests.
The new provisions arrive amid a notable shift in Trump’s rhetoric, which has turned more supportive of Ukraine and more critical of Putin.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon once again paused delivery of previously pledged defensive aid to Kyiv, citing an internal assessment of U.S. stockpiles. Reports indicate that this pause may have been initiated without informing the White House.
“This decision was made to put America’s interests first,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, referring to a Department of Defense review. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell echoed that framing, calling it a “capability review” and adding, “We can’t give weapons to everybody in the world.”
Shortly afterward, Trump contradicted the pause by suggesting the U.S. would send Patriot missile interceptors and additional defensive aid to Ukraine. The Pentagon subsequently announced it would resume the shipments.
“We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to — they have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said Monday evening.
Despite speaking with both Russian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin last week, Trump described his discussion with the Russian president as fruitless.
“We get a lot of bulls— thrown at us by Putin,” Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Pressed on who had authorized the pause in military aid, Trump appeared unsure.
“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” he said Wednesday. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump told Zelenskyy he was not responsible for the decision.
US WILL ‘HAVE TO’ SEND WEAPONS TO UKRAINE, TRUMP SAYS DAYS AFTER PENTAGON PAUSE
On Thursday, when a reporter asked whether he’d figured out who ordered the halt, Trump replied, “Well, I haven’t thought about it. … I have, no I have not gone into it.”
Asked what it says that such a major decision could be made without his knowledge, he insisted, “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.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed the significance of the pause, describing it as a “limited review” of specific munitions types, a common step after sustained operations in the Middle East and Europe.
“It was logical,” Rubio said, “especially after an extended engagement in defense of Israel and our own bases.”
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce also sought to reassure allies, saying, “The president has been obviously very passionate and determined regarding the ability of Ukraine to defend itself.”
The administration’s current tone marks a stark shift from earlier this year, when tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy reached a boiling point during a contentious February Oval Office meeting.
“You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards,” Trump reportedly told Zelenskyy, after calling him a “dictator” earlier that month.
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