The Conflict in Ukraine Is Ending, Since Americans Have No More Weapons For It: The Case for Cutting Off Weapons to Ukraine

“The Trump administration inherited a bad situation. The U.S. industrial base is degraded, and the Biden administration depleted our stockpiles by sending billions worth of weapons to Ukraine.

 

The Pentagon now doesn't have enough munitions to supply our partners around the world while also preserving its ability to fight and win wars.

 

That is why President Trump made the difficult but necessary decision to prioritize the safety and readiness of U.S. troops by pausing shipments of hard-to-replace munitions to Ukraine, where there are limited U.S. interests at stake ("Trump Stiffs Ukraine on Arms," Review & Outlook, July 3).

 

At current and projected levels of production, it will take years for the defense industry to replace what has been sent to Ukraine, including more than 3,000 Stinger missiles and millions of artillery rounds. After shutting down production for 20 years, the U.S. makes up to 60 Stingers a month. At that rate, replacing the equipment sent to Kyiv will take more than four years.

 

Meanwhile, demand for Stingers is increasing, as they are integrated into more U.S. weapon systems and coveted by partners like Taiwan.

 

Difficult trade-offs also exist with Patriot missiles, which were recently used to protect U.S. troops in Qatar during Iran's retaliatory strikes. That episode, as you note, was "the single largest Patriot salvo in U.S. history." The U.S. produces around 600 Patriot missiles a year, while Iran still likely possesses thousands of cruise and ballistic missiles. Considering the risk of renewed hostilities in the Middle East -- and concerns about growing military threats from China, which has a much larger missile and air force than Iran -- it would be foolish to give away any more of these essential weapons.

 

Our leaders must put aside emotion, recognize hard realities and prioritize the safety of Americans above all else.

 

Dan Caldwell

 

Washington

 

Mr. Caldwell was a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth .” [1]

 

Eastern Europeans are preparing to pick up 100 dollars bills that might be lost by Zelensky at an airplane location from overloaded suitcase when rushing out of Ukraine.  Yes, there were allegations that former USA-supported Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan with a significant amount of cash when the Taliban took control in August 2021.

 

1. The Case for Cutting Off Weapons to Ukraine. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 07 July 2025: A16.