The Pentagon's recent decision to halt arms shipments to Ukraine has caught members of the U.S. Congress, the State Department, and allies of former President Donald Trump by surprise, according to multiple sources cited by Politico. The move was reportedly made with little coordination within the Trump administration and faced opposition from some members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In response to the freeze, several European governments are exploring the purchase of American weapons using their own defense budgets to transfer to Ukraine, a strategy that would count toward NATO's new defense spending targets. Ukraine is also planning to request Washington's approval to allow European countries to buy U.S. arms for delivery to Kyiv. The situation highlights the challenges European nations face in quickly replacing U.S. military aid, with some analysts noting that Europe cannot easily substitute Washington's support and may need to rely on intermediaries for arms procurement.