Senator who voted in favour of Hegseth's appointment hinted after Ukraine aid scandal that he regretted it

Republican senators in the USA have expressed concern over reports that the decision to suspend arms supplies to Ukraine was taken personally by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. They insist on a detailed discussion of this issue in Congress, the Hill newspaper reported.

In their opinion, such a step, made without coordination with President Donald Trump, calls into question the level of interaction between the White House and the Pentagon. A senior Republican aide in the Senate called the defence secretary's action "a grave mistake on many levels".

Some Republicans concede that the aid freeze may have stemmed from a miscommunication between Trump and Hegseth, who may have misinterpreted the president's intentions regarding arms shipments.

The Senate warns that if the defence secretary or other senior Pentagon officials knowingly acted without Trump's knowledge, it would be a serious incident.

In addition, Republicans are alarmed by the information that this is not the first time Hegseth stopped military aid to Ukraine. They demand to find out who in the Pentagon took part in freezing supplies.

In turn, Senator Thom Tillis, whose vote was decisive in confirming Hegseth as defence secretary in January, criticised his decision, describing it as "amateurish". He noted that given the new data today, he would not have supported his nomination.

Earlier, NBC News reported that the order to suspend military aid to Ukraine came from Pete Hegseth. As CNN found out, he made the decision allegedly because of concerns about limited US weapons stockpiles without notifying the White House.