Washington (TDI): President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States will supply Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, marking a significant shift in Washington’s stance on arms deliveries to Kyiv.
He also hinted at the possibility of fresh sanctions on Russia, expressing growing dissatisfaction with President Vladimir Putin’s conduct in the war.
“We’ll be sending them Patriots, they urgently need them,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. He had just returned from the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey.
While Trump didn’t specify the number of units to be delivered, he confirmed that talks are underway. “I haven’t finalized the count yet, but they’ll get some. They need protection, and they’ll get it,” he said.
Read More: US Will Send More Defensive Weapons to Ukraine, Says Trump
The comments come ahead of what could be a pivotal week in US foreign policy. Trump was scheduled to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Monday morning, while Washington’s special envoy begins a new round of talks in Kyiv.
The Patriot missile deal comes after a sharp reversal by the White House. Earlier this month, it had signaled a pause in certain military shipments to Ukraine. Now, under a new agreement, NATO is expected to cover the cost of some of the weapons provided by the United States.
“We’ll be sending advanced military hardware, and they’re going to pay 100% for it,” Trump said. “It’s business for us.”
Trump also reiterated his disappointment in the Russian president, saying his trust in Putin had worn thin.
“Putin fooled a lot of people. He speaks politely during the day and bombs civilians at night,” Trump said. His tone echoed earlier remarks from last week when he accused Putin of feeding “nonsense” to Washington.
Read More: Trump Warns Putin ‘Playing with Fire’ Amid Intensified Ukraine Strikes
At the start of his term, Trump had hoped to find common ground with Russia and resisted pressure to toughen sanctions. However, more than three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has refused US proposals for a ceasefire, and Trump’s patience appears to be running out.
Asked whether new sanctions might be announced on Monday, Trump said: “We’ll see tomorrow,” without elaborating further.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
