Trump to Send Ukraine Patriot Missiles, Teases ‘Major Statement’ Ahead of NATO Talks
The US President, Donald Trump, confirmed that Washington will send Kyiv the US-made Patriot air defense missiles to support Ukraine in countering Russia’s intensified airstrikes, reported the Associated Press (AP).
In the light of this, Trump’s Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kyiv on Monday. Meanwhile, Trump will meet with NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, in Washington as the US President promised he would make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday.
Patriot Missiles to Ukraine
Late on Sunday, Trump announced that the US will send the much-needed Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, to help it in fending off Russian aerial attacks. “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump told reporters. “I haven’t agreed on the number yet, but they’re going to have some because they do need protection,” he added.
The Patriot air defense system is one of the world’s best systems, capable of detecting and intercepting a wide range of incoming air targets, particularly high-end ballistic missiles.
Hours after Trump’s announcement, Kellogg arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials. The talks will cover “defense, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protection of our people and enhancing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States,” according to the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andreii Yermak.
Growing Frustration
Promising to end it in “24 hours” during his presidential campaign, Trump has made stopping the war in Ukraine one of top his diplomatic priorities. However, after multiple rounds of talks between American and Russian officials, Trump has expressed increasing frustration with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who has for months refused a ceasefire proposed by Washington and Kyiv.
As he made the Patriot missiles announcement, Trump said that Putin “talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening.”
Trump has also hinted at imposing sanctions on Moscow. In the light of this, US senators are considering a bipartisan bill that will grant Trump a “sledgehammer” to use against Russia.
The bill will allow Trump to “go after Putin’s economy, and all those countries who prop up the Putin war machine,” the Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, told CBS News. It will allow the US President to impose a 500% tariff on countries buying Russian goods, including China, India and Brazil.
NATO Meeting
Trump will meet with the NATO General-Secretary, Mark Rutte, who visits Washington on Monday and Tuesday. Rutte will also meet the US State Secretary, Marco Rubio; Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth; and some Congress members.
The US President and the NATO chief will discuss weapons sales to Ukraine. Trump told reporters that the weapons delivery to Kyiv is part of a deal that involves NATO paying for some weapons.
“I’m gonna have a meeting with the secretary-general who’s coming in tomorrow. But we basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated (weapons) and they’re gonna pay us 100% for them,” he said.
Major Statement
The US had announced earlier this month it would stop some weapon deliveries to Ukraine, as Trump had considered it a waste of US taxpayer money. But now that Trump has changed his position and showed increased interest in helping Ukraine, Graham said that “the conflict is nearing an inflection point.”
During his interview with CBS News, Graham said: “In the coming days, you’ll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves. One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there’s going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table.”
Trump’s meeting with Rutte comes after the US President teased a “major statement” on Russia on Monday as Moscow has intensified its strikes against Ukraine, launching some of the largest missile and drone strikes in the more than three-year war.
However, the US President declined to reveal further details on the planned statement. “We’re going to see what we will see tomorrow,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.
