President Donald Trump announced on July 13 that the United States will send additional Patriot air-defense batteries to Ukraine, but added that the U.S. would be reimbursed for their cost.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently stressed Ukraine's need for such systems to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.
"We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening. But there's a little bit of a problem there. I don't like it," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington.
The weapons delivery will be part of a new arrangement, under which, according to President Trump, NATO will compensate the United States for some of the arms provided to Ukraine.
"We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100% for that, and that's the way we want it," Trump said. He did not specify the number of Patriots.
This decision signals a notable shift for Trump, who had previously refrained from approving new weapons shipments to Ukraine since the commencement of his second term.
His earlier strategy had centered on coaxing Putin to the negotiating table, arguing his ability to halt the conflict where his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, had purportedly failed.
Prior to this, Ukraine had received U.S. weapons only through funds remaining from the Biden administration's tenure, as Trump had resisted seeking additional appropriations, contending it would stiffen Putin's resolve and diminish peace prospects.
Trump expressed growing exasperation with his Russian counterpart in recent weeks, particularly as Putin unleashed a massive aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities and disregarded calls for a ceasefire. He said earlier that the U.S. would send more defensive weapons to Ukraine, reversing a previous Pentagon decision to pause some shipments. That halt had provoked fears that the U.S. was disengaging from Ukraine and unwilling to intervene to repel Russia’s slow but steady advance.
Regarding future actions, Trump indicated last week that he would make an "major statement" concerning Russia on Monday, though he declined to specify if it would involve new sanctions under consideration by Congress.
During his presidential campaign and initial months in office, Trump had often portrayed Zelensky as an impediment to peace, criticizing U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine. In February, he notably derided Zelensky as a "modestly successful comedian" and a "dictator."
Zelensky had expressed optimism following an earlier meeting with U.S. and European allies in Rome, believing it would lead to increased military aid, including air defense, for the war-battered country. This meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing," which included a senior Trump envoy, occurred just hours after another deadly Russian drone-and-missile assault on Kyiv. Zelensky noted a “positive dialogue” with the U.S. president regarding the delivery of more Patriot systems.
“It’s crucial that — following our constructive and very positive conversations with President Trump — we have all necessary political signals on the resumption of aid shipments,” Zelensky told reporters in the Italian capital on July 10. “Now we are working at staff level to ensure timely deliveries to Ukraine.”
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