US Reportedly Halts Weapon Sales to Ukraine, Lawmaker Disputes Claim

Rumors spread within the Kyiv government Thursday that Weapons sales and deliveries to Ukraine from the US have been halted, according to one Ukrainian lawmaker’s claim, later contradicted by another Verkhovna Rada member.

Lawmaker Roman Kostenko, who works as the secretary of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, said some companies involved in weapons sales and deliveries to Ukraine are waiting for political decisions, but the exact reason for the suspension is unclear.

“According to my information, deliveries of the weapons that were going to be sold have stopped. Those companies that were supposed to transfer these weapons here are now waiting, because there is no decision,” Kostenko said in an interview.

Kostenko added that the parties involved are trying to resolve the issue, potentially with extra payments. 

“And everyone is waiting to see if this will be a solution, at least for money, to deliver weapons here,” Kostenko added. 

Oleksandra Ustinova, a fellow lawmaker and advisor to Ukraine’s defense minister, later rejected Kostenko’s claims.

“The United States did NOT stop the sale of weapons to Ukraine,” Ustinova said on Facebook.

The rumor, if true, could result from the deteriorating relations between Kyiv and the Trump administration. US President Donald Trump has questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy—similar to the Kremlin’s narrative—and Zelensky has responded that Trump “lives in a disinformation space.”   

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[UPDATED: Feb. 21, 00:43, Kyiv time. Added comments from lawmaker Oleksandra Ustinova]