US President Donald Trump has said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin talks one thing but does another, and has promised to supply Ukraine with all the weapons it needs, Politico reports.
It is true that although the US will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine, Europe will pay for them. Trump insisted this during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Trump said on the 13th of July: “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need. We did not agree on the number yet, but they are going to have some. But the European Union is paying for it. We’re not paying for anything. This will be business for us.” The US president also added that he was very disappointed in Putin and thought that Putin meant what he said. It turns out that Putin “talks nice things in the morning and bombs people in the evening,” which Trump does not like. “There’s a little bit of a problem there,” Trump said.
Putin has stepped up attacks on Ukraine over the summer, launching nearly 500 drones and missiles a day.
He has also rejected the US president’s call for a ceasefire.
Rutte will meet with Trump and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the 14th of July. Trump, visibly irritated by his failure to reach an agreement with Putin, told NBC News last week that he could make a major announcement on Ukraine on the 14th of July. Political commentators have speculated that the announcement could be about the supply of long-range weapons. Pistorius is also scheduled to meet with Hegseth.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has also called for tariffs on Russian exports, said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is approaching a turning point: “For months, President Trump tried to entice Putin to the peace table. He has left the door open regarding Russia. That door is about to close.”
Graham also hinted at the possibility of using frozen Russian assets to pay for weapons destined for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kiev for a week-long visit, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered military commanders to prepare a comprehensive report on the current situation.
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