Pentagon to take some of the weapons manufactured for Ukraine for its own arsenals

This was reported by CNN, citing four sources familiar with the contents of the internal memorandum of the US Department of Defense.

A memo written last month by the Pentagon's policy chief outlines the possibility for the Defense Department to redirect certain weapons and equipment destined for Ukraine back to U.S. stockpiles. It's a dramatic shift that could see billions of dollars previously allocated for the war-torn country being diverted to replenish depleted U.S. stockpiles.

Even though Trump approved a plan to sell American weapons to Ukraine through NATO countries, the Pentagon remains concerned about arming Kyiv in the war with Russia at the expense of American stocks.

This is especially true for goods that are in high demand and remain in short supply, such as interceptor missiles, air defense systems, and artillery ammunition.

In this regard, it is recalled how a month ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suspended the supply of a large number of weapons to Ukraine based on a memorandum from his deputy, Elbridge Colby, regarding the reduction of weapons stocks at the Pentagon.

However, the Colby Memorandum remains in effect and even contains a previously unknown provision that allows the Pentagon to redirect weapons produced for Ukraine under the USAI program back to American arsenals.

Although sources said the weapons do not appear to have been diverted yet, the provision could deprive Ukraine of billions of dollars in American-made materials due to be delivered in the coming months and years.

The USAI program was established in 2016 and has traditionally provided Ukraine with a steady supply of weapons. The Senate recently approved another $800 million for USAI in the annual defense budget. But it remains unclear whether the weapons will reach Ukraine, the sources said.

In addition, the Pentagon still has about $3.8 billion in funds under the Presidential Authorization Act (PDA), another program to support Ukraine. Some NATO allies, including the United Kingdom, are urging the United States to use this authority to increase pressure on Putin.

However, according to one source, the current Pentagon leadership is aiming to refrain from action until the deadline for allocating these funds expires at the end of the current fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is working with NATO to develop a new system for selling weapons to European allies that could then be transferred to Ukraine. The mechanism essentially involves creating a NATO bank account into which allies can deposit money to buy weapons from the United States.

According to sources, the allies are working to reach a starting point of $10 billion in this account.