āWeāre sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100 percent,ā heĀ said in a phone interviewĀ with NBC News. āSo, what weāre doing is, the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine], and NATO is paying for those weapons.ā
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The president added that the deal was struck in June at theĀ NATO summitĀ in The Hague.
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Secretary of StateĀ Marco RubioĀ said the U.S. is talking to multiple countries in Europe, including Spain and Germany, that have Patriot batteries ā a key element in the defense system used to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles ā about sending them over to Kyiv.Ā
āWell, the Spaniards have them.Ā Theyāre really far from Ukraine and they have one.Ā The Germans have, others have them ā Iām not singling them out, but Iām just telling you those are two that I know,ā RubioĀ told reportersĀ while in Malaysia afterĀ his meetingĀ with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.Ā āThere are other Patriot batteries, and there are other opportunities.ā
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The conversation comes as the presidentĀ intensified his criticismĀ of Russian PresidentĀ Vladimir PutinĀ in recent days, saying the two leaders have made āno progressā on brokering a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also said he does not think Putin is looking to halt the war in Eastern Europe, which has been ongoing since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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The Trump administration restartedĀ sending some defense weaponsĀ to Ukraine on Monday, days after the Defense Department ordered aĀ pause on deliveringĀ some air defense missiles and munitions, citing concerns of U.S. stockpiles being depleted.
NATO Secretary-GeneralĀ Mark RutteĀ said he spoke with Trump on Thursday and has pushed allies within the alliance to send weapons to Ukraine.Ā
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Read the full report at TheHill.com.
