By Euronews with AP
Published on
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President Donald Trump stated that the United States will need to dispatch additional weaponry to Ukraine, following a recent halt in critical arms shipments to Kyiv.
This change in stance indicates a rapid reversal. Last week, the Pentagon announced a delay in delivering air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery, and other weapons, citing concerns over diminishing stockpiles.
Nonetheless, Trump declared, “We have to,” emphasizing, “They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. We’re going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.”
The pause in deliveries occurred at a challenging time for Ukraine, with Russian forces intensifying air strikes and conducting more frequent and intricate attacks. On Monday, officials reported that Russian strikes had claimed at least 11 civilian lives and wounded over 80 individuals, including seven children.
Trump’s Monday decision followed a Friday phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which the Kyiv leader described as a “very important and fruitful conversation”.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy noted, “We discussed opportunities in air defense and agreed to collaborate on strengthening the protection of our skies.”
Speaking at a dinner on Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump expressed his growing dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I’m not happy with President Putin at all,” Trump stated.
Last Thursday, Trump participated in a call with the Russian President, commenting afterward that he was “very disappointed,” and observed, “I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”
The Pentagon has not yet responded to inquiries on whether the temporarily halted weapon shipments to Ukraine will resume.
