NATO will send weapons to Ukraine through alliance; Trump
President Donald Trump, speaking to the media on Thursday, said he had reached an agreement with NATO to send weapons to Ukraine through the alliance, and that NATO would “pay 100 percent” for those weapons.
“We’re sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, a hundred percent,” the president told NBC News’ Kristen Welker in a phone interview Thursday. “We’re going to be sending Patriots to NATO, and then NATO will distribute that,” he said, according to NBC News.
A NATO spokesperson said in a statement Friday: “Allies continue to work to ensure Ukraine has the support they need to defend themselves against Russia’s aggression. This includes urgent efforts to procure key supplies from the United States, including air defence and ammunition.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke to Trump on Thursday. “Earlier today I urged leaders to go further so Ukraine has more ammunition & air defences,” Rutte posted on X. “I’ve just spoken with President Trump & am now working closely with Allies to get Ukraine the help they need.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said earlier Thursday that the United States is “actively” talking to countries in Europe about sharing Patriot batteries with Ukraine.
“There are other Patriot batteries and there are other opportunities. Countries that have ordered Patriot batteries that are about to receive shipments of them, it’d be great if one of them volunteered to defer that shipment and send it to Ukraine instead,” Rubio told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.Earlier this week, Trump hinted that the administration was mulling whether to send another Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.
“They would like it, they’ve asked for it — they’re very rare indeed, because a lot of systems have been sent to Ukraine,” Trump said Wednesday. “But they would like to, I know they made the request. We’re gonna have to take a look at it. Very expensive, very expensive system.”
In his Thursday interview with NBC News, the president also previewed that he would make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday but did not provide additional details.
“I’m disappointed in Russia … a major statement to make on Russia on Monday,” the president said.
