Trump White House Blindsided After Pete Hegseth Abruptly Canceled Ukraine Weapons Shipments

 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the abrupt cancellation of U.S. weapons flights to Ukraine in February — without President Donald Trump’s knowledge — leaving top national security officials blindsided and scrambling for answers, according to internal records.

The sudden cancellation of 11 military cargo flights in early February, carrying pre-approved Biden-era aid, reportedly caught the White House, Pentagon, and State Department completely off guard at the time.

However, in a stunning look behind-the-scenes, via internal records from the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) that were seen by Reuters, the verbal order originated from Hegseth’s office and sparked confusion not just in Washington, but in Kyiv and Warsaw, where the shipments were being coordinated.

Hegseth’s decision reportedly came on the heels of a Jan. 30 Oval Office meeting on Ukraine policy. While aid was discussed, three sources told Reuters that Trump gave no explicit order to halt assistance — raising serious questions about Hegseth’s interpretation of the president’s intent.

In a statement when asked about the transcripts on Tuesday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s Ukraine policy without confirming the miscommunication.

“Negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine War has been a complex and fluid situation,” she said. “The bottom line is the war is much closer to an end today than it was when President Trump took office.”

Media outlets previously reported a pause in aid, but Hegseth’s direct role was not known until now. The flights resumed within a few days after National Security Adviser Mike Waltz , who was moved from the job last week, allegedly intervened.