Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has disclosed that the United States, under the administration of President Donald Trump, redirected 20,000 anti-drone missiles that were originally intended for Ukraine to American forces stationed in the Middle East.
In an interview published by ABC News on Sunday, Zelensky said Ukraine had relied on the missile delivery to bolster its defence against ongoing Russian drone assaults, particularly swarms of Iranian-designed Shahed drones.
He noted that the plan, developed under President Joe Biden’s administration and coordinated with then-Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, was meant to deliver a cost-effective and specialised missile system to counter aerial threats.
“We have big problems with Shaheds… we will find all the tools to destroy them. We counted on this project, 20,000 missiles. Anti-Shahed missiles. It was not expensive, but it’s a special technology,” Zelensky stated.
According to a June 4 report by The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration ordered the diversion of the munitions, including special fuzes for the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, citing an urgent need to supply American forces in the Middle East.
The decision, reportedly communicated to Congress through a classified Pentagon message, was made under current Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth.
A source from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency told The Kyiv Independent that Russia is preparing to escalate drone warfare, potentially launching more than 500 long-range drones in a single night as Moscow accelerates drone production and expands its launch capacity.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term in January, his administration has halted the approval of new US military aid packages to Ukraine.
Trump has voiced reservations about prolonged military support for Kyiv and briefly paused shipments earlier this year.
Deliveries resumed after Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire framework during peace negotiations held in Jeddah on March 11.
