(BBC) US President Donald Trump announced that he will send weapons, including Patriot air defense systems, to Ukraine through Nato.
Trump mentioned in an interview with NBC News that in a new agreement, “we’re going to be sending Patriots to Nato, and then Nato will distribute that,” and he added that Nato would cover the costs of the weapons.
This announcement followed a conversation between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, where Zelensky talked about having a “positive dialogue” regarding the timely arrival of arms. He mentioned that he requested 10 Patriot systems due to an increase in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities over the past week.
Patriot batteries are designed to detect and intercept incoming missiles and are considered among the best air defense systems in the world.
While speaking in Rome on Thursday, the Ukrainian leader noted that Germany was willing to pay for two of the Patriots and Norway for one, with other European allies also ready to assist.
After a phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin last week, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction that no progress had been made towards ending the war, and he later remarked that Putin’s “very nice” demeanor turned out to be meaningless.
During his NBC News interview, Trump stated he would make a “major statement” regarding Russia on Monday, but he did not specify what it would entail.
He also mentioned that “Nato is going to reimburse the full cost” of the weapons sent to Ukraine. Nato is funded by contributions from its member countries, including the US.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that he had encouraged nations like Germany and Spain to provide some of their existing Patriot batteries, as they could reach Ukraine more quickly.
“We have continued to encourage our Nato allies to provide those weapons… since they have them in their stocks, then we can enter into financial agreements… where they can purchase the replacements,” he explained.
The US defense department paused some shipments of essential weapons last week, raising worries in Kyiv that its air defenses might be compromised.
