US President Donald Trump said he would send additional Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine — most likely through the European Union — as Kyiv, Moscow, and the rest of world await what he has said will be a “major statement” on the long conflict.
In comments late July 13, Trump didn’t provide specifics on the planned Patriot deliveries to Kyiv — which has long pleaded for the systems it sees as crucial to defending its cities from almost nightly Russian air strikes.
He also criticized Vladimir Putin, the latest in a series of negative remarks toward the Russian president.
“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because Putin really surprised a lot of people,” Trump told reporters at a US military base outside Washington. “He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening…I don’t like it.”
“The European Union is paying for it. We’re not paying anything for it, but we will send it,” Trump said, without naming the EU nations that would be included in such a transaction.
“We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 percent for that, and that’s the way we want it,” Trump said.
Washington on July 2 announced it was halting some arms supplies to Kyiv. However, Trump has since expressed growing frustration with Putin’s refusal to agree to a cease-fire and on July 10 said the United States would send additional weapons to Ukraine through NATO nations or other European allies.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in a July 4 call with Trump, raised the possibility that Berlin could buy Patriots from Washington and then provide the sophisticated systems to Kyiv. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is scheduled to arrive in Washington on July 14 for talks with US officials.
The United States has delivered three Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine, all during the administration of President Joe Biden. The Patriot is one of the most advanced air-defense systems in the world, capable of intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles.
Ukraine has also received another four Patriot batteries: three from Germany and one from a group of European nations.
Trump’s major statement, expected on July 14 would come amid a relative lull in Russian attacks on Ukraine following the record-high levels of air assaults of the previous weeks.
Axios, citing two people familiar with the plan, reported late on Jully 13 that Trump will announce a major shift in his strategy toward the war in the remarks, setting out an “aggressive” policy that will include offensive weapons for Ukraine. The White House didn’t immediately comment on the report.
Also on the diplomatic front, NATO chief Mark Rutte is scheduled to meet Trump on July 14 to discuss Ukraine and other issues.
Rutte is slated is also scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and members of Congress during his two-day visit, according to a statement by the Western military alliance.
Separately, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, was scheduled to visit Ukraine starting on July 14.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Kellogg would visit but did not release details. Specific itineraries for such visits are often kept secret for security reasons.
One of Trump’s strongest allies, Senator Lindsey Graham, added credence to speculation that Trump could increase the supply of weaponry to Kyiv, telling CBS News that “in the coming days, you’ll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves.”
“One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there’s going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table,” Graham said.
“This is truly a sledgehammer available to President Trump to end this war,” said Graham.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who appeared with Graham during the CBS interview, said there is also growing bipartisan consensus in Congress and among European allies regarding the tapping of some of the $300 billion in Russian assets frozen by G7 countries early in the war to aid Kyiv.
“It’s time to do it,” Blumenthal said.
After earlier being accused by many of going easy on Russia despite its unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump has grown increasingly critical of Moscow in recent weeks, as it has stepped up air strikes and rebuffed his efforts to secure a cease-fire.
“We get a lot of bullshit from Putin. It’s very nice most of the time but meaningless,” Trump — who has spoken to Putin by phone six times since his inauguration on January 20 — said on July 8.
Trump’s sharper criticism of Putin is notable because he has a history of making positive and flattering comments about the Russian leader. Trump has called him “smart” and last year said he had a “very good relationship” with Putin. Trump had hinted that he would be able to leverage that relationship to secure a cease-fire.
Russia has stepped up its missile and drone attacks this year, with numbers increasing every month since December, and has intensified barrages on Kyiv and other cities in recent weeks while also pressing forward on the front lines — albeit with massive casualties among its troops.
“The pace of Russia’s aerial strikes demands swift decisions, and it can be curbed now by sanctions,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram on July 12.
