(MENAFN) The Pentagon has implemented a policy permitting the recall of US-made weapons originally intended for Ukraine, media reported Friday, citing a confidential memo reviewed by multiple sources.

The memo, reportedly authored by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby—whom media describes as “a noted skeptic of arming Ukraine”—grants the Defense Department authority to reclaim arms provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

While sources told media that no weapons have yet been redirected under this directive, the policy risks depriving Ukraine of billions of dollars worth of US-made military equipment expected in the coming months and years.

Media warned this memo makes “an already murky picture of the status of US arms shipments to Ukraine” even less clear, especially ahead of a potential summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

The memo reportedly mandates that weapons in short supply, such as interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, require direct approval from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before deployment abroad.

This pull-back clause is part of the same document Hegseth invoked last month to temporarily halt arms shipments—including Patriot missiles—to Ukraine, citing concerns over dwindling domestic stocks. However, President Trump later ordered the resumption of these deliveries.

Trump has since indicated that US weapons could continue flowing to Ukraine under a deal where the European Union would cover “100% of the cost of all military equipment.”

Russia has consistently condemned Western arms transfers to Ukraine, warning they “only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome” and risk dragging NATO directly into the fighting.

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