The Department of War is weighing whether to divert weapons intended for Ukraine to operations involving Iran, where the U.S. military has struck more than 10,000 targets since fighting began Feb. 28.
No final decision has been made, but the potential shift would underscore trade-offs in sustaining military operations, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The report cited three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.
The weapons under consideration include air defense interceptor missiles ordered through a NATO program in which partner countries buy U.S. arms for Ukraine.
The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative has helped maintain a flow of select military equipment to Kyiv even as the Trump administration has reduced direct security assistance.
In a statement to the Post, a War Department spokesperson said the Pentagon would "ensure that U.S. forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win" but declined to comment further.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte did not directly address whether the alliance is concerned about a potential diversion of U.S. equipment.
"This U.S. vital equipment for Ukraine, including interceptors, is continuing to flow into Ukraine," he said at a news conference.
"And let me add that since the launch ... PURL has now supplied around 75% of all missiles for Ukraine's Patriot batteries and 90% of the ammunition used in other air defense systems. So, this is an important program, again, continuing to flow."
At a Cabinet meeting Thursday, President Donald Trump did not say directly whether munitions would be diverted but acknowledged that such reallocations occur.
"We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We have them in other countries, like in Germany and all over Europe," Trump said.
"We are packed. Sometimes we take from one and we use for another. We help Ukraine. ... Biden started. He gave $350 billion away, way too much, we sell it now to NATO and they probably give it to Ukraine, mostly. We get paid for everything; we don't give anything anymore."
Since U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran began, European officials have expressed concern about the pace of U.S. munitions use.
Two European diplomats told the Post that the rate of use could delay their own orders and affect deliveries to Ukraine under the NATO program.
"They are really burning through munitions, so there are questions now about how much they will keep providing through the deal," one diplomat said.
A European official told the newspaper that any U.S. decision to divert systems would likely affect future deliveries rather than those already in progress.
"There are things already in the pipeline," the official said.
Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, said Kyiv remains in communication with partners regarding its defense needs, including air defense.
She added that "any disruptions at the outset of recent operations in the Middle East have been mitigated."
Among the most in-demand munitions are advanced air defense interceptors, including Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, systems.
The U.S. military has already repositioned some of these systems from other regions, including Europe and East Asia, to U.S. Central Command to strengthen defenses against Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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