US President Donald Trump has pledged to send additional Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine, a policy shift coinciding with what he promised would be a "major statement" regarding Washington's approach to Russia.
In comments late on July 13, Trump did not 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 Russian air strikes, which Moscow has ramped up in recent weeks.
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.
The Trump administration announced earlier this month was halting some arms supplies to Kyiv.
However, Trump, who has spoken to Putin by phone six times since taking office, has since expressed growing frustration with Putin's refusal to agree to a cease-fire.
“We get a lot of bullshit from Putin. It's very nice most of the time but meaningless,” Trump 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 had called him “smart" and last year said he had a “very good relationship” with Putin.
Last week, Trump again openly criticized Moscow.
“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks," he told NBC News.
Aside from the new Patriot batteries, it was not immediately clear what else Trump would announce. The news site Axios, citing two people familiar with the plan, said Trump could announce an "aggressive" policy that would include offensive weapons.
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.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has raised the possibility that Berlin could buy Patriots from Washington and then supply them to Kyiv.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was scheduled to meet Trump on July 14 to discuss Ukraine and other issues. He was also scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and members of Congress during his two-day visit.
Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kyiv on July 14 for talks with top Ukrainian officials.
One of Trump’s strongest allies, Senator Lindsey Graham, added credence to speculation that Trump could increase the supply of weaponry to Kyiv, saying 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 told CBS News.
"This is truly a sledgehammer available to President Trump to end this war," he said.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, who appeared with Graham during the CBS interview, said there was 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 to aid Kyiv.
“It's time to do it,” Blumenthal said.
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.
