Perhaps feeling the heat, Trump told NBC News late Thursday that: “We’re sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, a hundred percent.”
“We’re going to be sending Patriots to NATO, and then NATO will distribute that,” he added.
Across Europe, there’s a feeling of whiplash over the Trump administration’s recent Ukraine policy reversals plus confusion about who is making decisions at the Pentagon, while Kyiv worries that the aid package passed under the previous administration could soon run out, and the Republican-dominated U.S. Congress shows no sign of approving a new one.
“We discussed with our partners the possibility of purchasing the necessary weapons packages in Europe and primarily in the U.S.,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday. “We’re talking about air defense systems, ammunition, and so on.”
Though Trump’s commitment to Ukraine has been uncertain since his return to office, he has in recent months voiced frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his refusal to end the war.
In his NBC interview, Trump again expressed disappointment in Russia and said he would make “a major statement” Monday — though the contents of that are unknown for now.
