Washington DC - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly left the White House scrambling early in his term after he handed down a verbal order that halted a major shipment of military aid to Ukraine.

According to Reuters, a week after President Donald Trump's inauguration, Hegseth ordered three freight airlines to halt 11 flights bound for Ukraine with vital military aid, including artillery shells and other weaponry.

The flights were operating out of Dover Air Force Base in Delaware as well as a US base in Qatar. Ukraine was not informed of the decision, and it was unclear at the time whether it was a temporary or permanent halt in aid.

Ukrainian officials were provided with few answers but, within a week, the flights resumed, and military aid was supplied to Kyiv.

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The accidental cancellation reportedly cost the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) between $1.6 and $2.2 million.

According to sources cited by Reuters, Trump was unaware of Hegseth's order. National security and military officials were also kept out of the loop.

Per the news outlet, a January 30 Oval Office meeting touched on the idea of stopping aid to Ukraine, but the president issued no such order.

These reports were contradicted by the White House, which in a statement said that Hegseth's actions were directed by Trump.

"Negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine War has been a complex and fluid situation," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters.

"We are not going to detail every conversation among top administration officials throughout the process. The bottom line is the war is much closer to an end today than it was when President Trump took office."