United States President Donald Trump has announced that the US will send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, signaling growing disillusionment with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to negotiate an end to Moscow’s invasion. “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday.
This move comes after Trump confirmed that his administration had decided to sell weapons to NATO allies in Europe for them to pass on to Kyiv. Trump is set to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte this week for discussions expected to focus on his plans to supply weapons to Kyiv. Rutte’s trip to Washington, DC comes as Trump has teased that he will make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday.
Trump expressed growing frustration with Putin’s refusal to agree to a peace deal, saying, “Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening.” Trump added, “So, there’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it.” He also stated that he had not decided on the number of Patriot batteries he would send to Ukraine, but “they’re going to have some because they do need protection”.
The US president’s comments come after months of unsuccessful efforts to broker a peace between Moscow and Kyiv. Trump had previously expressed optimism about Putin wanting peace, but his recent comments indicate a shift in his perspective. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” Trump said of Putin.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Ukraine in Congress, unveiled a bipartisan sanctions bill that would provide Trump with a “sledgehammer” to end the war. “This congressional package that we’re looking at would give President Trump the ability to impose 500 percent tariffs on any country that helps Russia and props up Putin’s war machine,” Graham told CBS News’s Face the Nation.
Trump’s decision to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine reflects his administration’s growing frustration with Putin’s actions. As the conflict continues, concerns about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine are growing, with many calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.