Trump To Send Portion Of Key Missile Shipment To Ukraine
President Donald Trump announced Monday night that he would send Ukraine a shipment of defensive weapons, but some corners of the administration reportedly remain skeptical of the move, sources told Axios on Tuesday…
President Donald Trump announced Monday night that he would send Ukraine a shipment of defensive weapons, but some corners of the administration reportedly remain skeptical of the move, sources told Axios on Tuesday.
The Trump administration will reportedly send ten Patriot interceptor missile batteries to Ukraine after previously pausing the shipments to review weapons stockpiles, according to Axios. However, unnamed sources told the outlet that the president is skeptical about U.S. involvement in the war, and that the administration is reaching out to European partners to potentially fill in for the U.S. in supplying the critical equipment.
“We are going to have to send more weapons to Ukraine. Defensive weapons, they have to defend themselves,” Trump told reporters during a Monday evening meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The initial pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine was reportedly spearheaded by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby over concerns that U.S. stockpiles had become too low, a concern shared by the White House according to Axios.
“Getting a Patriot missile isn’t like going to Walmart and picking ten off the shelf and going home,” a Trump advisor told Axios.
Trump reportedly told his confidants that “this isn’t my war,” but sending arms to Ukraine would make the conflict his responsibility, according to Axios. While the missiles are being sent, the Trump administration is also reportedly exploring other options to supply Kiev with Patriots, including enlisting Germany for help.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly identified Patriot batteries in Greece and Germany that the U.S. could finance and send to Ukraine, but the talks have reportedly dragged on for months, one Trump advisor told Axios.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been reluctant to come to the table for peace talks, which contributed to Trump’s apparent switch in attitude on giving Ukraine the batteries, according to Axios. Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange strikes while the frontlines have remained relatively stagnant, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday any ceasefire would have to include Ukrainian disarmament.
The White House referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to comments Trump made during a Tuesday cabinet meeting in which the president slammed Putin and confirmed that he approved weapons shipments to Ukrainian forces.
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