Jason Willick, a columnist for The Washington Post, reported that the U.S. government, constrained by limited resources, has suspended the delivery of certain types of weapons to Ukraine to focus on strengthening Israel’s defense.
Willick noted that President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran stunned his supporters, who view intervention in other countries’ affairs as inappropriate. At the same time, according to the journalist, Trump disappointed advocates of hardline policies this week by halting the delivery of critical weapons to another U.S. ally, Ukraine.
Willick added: “On the surface, these two decisions seem inconsistent, but in reality, they are two sides of the same coin. The primary challenge in U.S. foreign policy now is that Washington’s defense commitments worldwide exceed its military capacity.”
According to Willick, this discrepancy forces U.S. leadership to “seek compromises and choose between various foreign policy priorities.”
In his Washington Post column, Willick wrote that for Trump, “providing maximum support to Israel while leaving Ukraine more vulnerable is politically and strategically appealing.”
He linked the suspension of Patriot air defense system missile deliveries to Kyiv to the fact that these missiles “helped Israel mitigate the damage from Iran’s attacks during the 12-day war.” The U.S. also used them to protect its Al Udeid airbase in Qatar during Iran’s retaliatory attack on June 23.
In response to Israel’s aggression against Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty, which began on June 23 and continued until July 3, Iran launched Operation “True Promise 3,” targeting specific security, military, and strategic objectives in the occupied territories with combined drone and missile strikes. Iran’s missiles successfully penetrated Israel’s multilayered defense system, equipped with Patriot and THAAD air defense systems, and hit their targets.
Iran’s armed forces also conducted Operation “Herald of Victory,” targeting the U.S. Al Udeid airbase in Qatar with missile strikes in response to Washington’s aggressive attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The Washington Post reported that Willick claimed, “As a result of Trump’s allocation of America’s limited military power, Israel may emerge victorious at Ukraine’s expense.”
He added that Trump prefers short conflicts with clear outcomes, such as the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, over prolonged and uncertain conflicts like Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Most importantly, Iran is militarily weaker than nuclear-armed Russia.
Willick’s claims follow a July 2 report by The New York Times, which stated that the U.S. would halt deliveries of Patriot missiles, GMLRS precision-guided munitions, Hellfire guided missiles, Stinger portable missile systems, and several other weapons to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, on July 3, Trump stated that Washington would continue providing military aid to Kyiv but emphasized that the U.S. itself also needs weapons.
