Sources Pin Ukraine Weapons Pause Squarely on Hegseth

The White House got no heads up before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth halted US weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, five sources tell CNN—a move that surprised top officials and sparked confusion as Trump's team reportedly scrambled to understand and explain the decision. President Trump publicly but vaguely distanced himself from the pause during a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, where he was repeatedly asked who authorized the pause. "I don't know, why don't you tell me?" he said at one point. Standout details from CNN's report:

• Hegseth's decision was the second such halt on Ukraine aid this year, following a pause in February that was quickly undone.
• Per at least two of the sources, neither the US special envoy to Ukraine nor the Secretary of State were notified in advance and instead learned of the decision through the media.
• As for how the decision came to be made, all five sources say the pause stemmed from a recommendation by Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who has been reportedly hesitant to provide so many weapons to Ukraine. Colby communicated his recommendation to Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, who two sources say has long worried about the state of America's weapons stockpile. Hegseth signed off from there.
• Per CNN, "Two of the sources attributed Hegseth's not informing the White House to the fact that he has no chief of staff or trusted advisers around him that might urge him to coordinate major policy decisions better with the interagency partners."
• Upon hearing about the pause, two sources say the White House told Hegseth and the DOD that it would supply temporary "cover" for the move, but made clear that the DOD would need to explain the decision to Congress.