Hegseth Denies Changes to US Ukraine Policy, Defends Patriot Missile Supply Priorities

By Staff, Agencies

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday denied any changes to Washington’s policy toward Ukraine, saying the Pentagon had issued no directives to restrict satellite communications services and was working to ensure that American forces maintained sufficient supplies of Patriot missile interceptors.

“There’s a lot of things that have been said in the press that are not true about the Department of War,” Hegseth told reporters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, when asked about reports that the Pentagon was delaying the transfer of Patriot interceptors from allied countries to Ukraine.

“We haven’t changed our posture in any way toward the Ukrainians, but certainly with things like interceptors, we want to make sure our guys have the most possible as well,” he said.

Hegseth added that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was aware of the situation.

Asked whether his assertion that US policy toward Ukraine remained unchanged also applied to coverage provided by the Starshield satellite network, the US official insisted that Washington had not withdrawn any support.

“We haven’t pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied with, and that’s where Starlink has the option to make those decisions,” he said.

“But nothing’s changed from our view. We haven’t made any directives or anything like that,” Hegseth added.

His remarks came amid growing reports questioning the Trump administration’s handling of military assistance to Kiev, including the status of Patriot missile deliveries and satellite communications services used by Ukrainian forces.

The statements also follow concerns over whether Washington’s priority of maintaining adequate interceptor stocks for its own military could affect the availability of air defense systems for Ukraine.