Pentagon pauses weapons shipments to Ukraine over US stockpile worries

Pentagon pauses weapons shipments to Ukraine over US stockpile worries.

Mixed verdict in Sean “P. Diddy” Combs case.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered a halt of weapons deliveries to Ukraine after ordering an assessment of the US munitions stockpile. The US supply of weapons has been stretched thin in recent years with increasing demands from both Ukraine and Israel, and from direct US attacks on Iran and the Houthis in Yemen.

Among the shipments being held up are:

Dozens of Patriot missiles used to intercept incoming fire
Over 100 Hellfire missiles
Hundreds of precision guided missile systems
Thousands of Howitzer munitions more than 100 Hellfire missiles,
Stinger surface-to-air missiles
AIM air-to-air missiles
Grenade launchers

Some of these shipments, approved by the Biden administration, are already in Europe. Their delivery has been held up while the Pentagon assesses whether they might be needed elsewhere, either in other conflicts or to maintain US military readiness.

Ukraine’s waning prospects

The timing could not be worse for Ukraine, which in recent months has seen a huge increase in Russian missile attacks on its cities. Just this past weekend, Russian forces launched 60 missiles and 477 drones into Ukrainian territory. According to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, this was Russia’s largest aerial attack since the war began.

Ukrainian officials worry that the perception of faltering US support could embolden Russia to push for more territorial gains. Each side is trying to gain the upper hand ahead of proposed ceasefire negotiations, which seem all but stalled for now.

The decision to halt these weapons deliveries to Ukraine comes days after Russian forces seized a valuable lithium deposit. This is a significant blow for the much-vaunted mineral deal signed between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Trump administration. This deal was meant provide an assurance of a vested US interest in Ukraine’s economic development as well as its defense.

After his efforts to get the two sides to the negotiating table faltered and other matters have captured Trump’s interest, US support for Ukraine is increasingly on the backburner.

Mixed verdict in Sean “P. Diddy” Combs case

Following a seven week trial featuring days of lurid and emotional testimony, a jury of 8 men and 4 women has acquitted rap and fashion mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs of the two most serious charges against him – racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. The jury did find Combs guilty of two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution – one each pertaining to former girlfriends of Combs, singer Cassie Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane”.

The two convictions could carry a sentence as high as 10 years each. However it is unlikely that Combs will receive the statutory maximum for either crime, or that the sentences will run consecutively. Some legal analysts believe it is possible that Combs could be sentenced to as little as time served.

A hearing will be held in the coming weeks to discuss issues around scheduling a sentencing hearing. Combs’ attorneys asked the judge to release Combs pending sentencing. However, Judge Arun Subramanian declined, citing admissions from Comb’s own attorneys that Combs had carried out acts of domestic violence against both Ventura and “Jane”. The violence against “Jane” took place when Combs already knew he was under federal investigation. An attorney for Ventura also said she feared for her safety if Combs was released, citing a history of violent retaliation towards her and others. Combs appeared stunned when his bail was denied.

Combs’ legal troubles are far from over. There are nearly 70 civil cases against him alleging physical and sexual abuse.