US president makes vow in increasing ire at Russian President Vladimir Putin. US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he will deploy Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine as his government signals increasing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to talk about ending Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We will send them Patriots, which they badly need,” Trump told the media at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday. Putin shocked a lot of people. He speaks nicely and then he bombs everyone at night,” Trump explained.
“So, there is a bit of an issue there. I don’t like it. Trump stated he had not made up his mind about how many Patriot batteries he would send to Ukraine, but “they’re going to have some because they do need protection.Trump made the remarks after he confirmed last week that his administration had concluded to sell weapons to European NATO allies so that they can transfer the arms to Kyiv.
Trump will meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte this week for talks, which are anticipated to centre on his intentions to provide weapons to Kyiv. Rutte’s visit to Washington, DC, comes as Trump has hinted that he will make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday. On Sunday, Axios quoted two sources as saying that Trump’s announcement would involve “offensive weapons” for Ukraine.
Having campaigned on a vow to bring an abrupt end to the war in Ukraine, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin’s refusal to sign up to a peace agreement. Although Putin has signed off on fleeting pauses in hostilities, he has rejected US offers of an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
