Trump says US to supply Patriot missiles to Ukraine

Washington, July 14 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has said that the United States will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine to help bolster the country's defences against Russian attacks.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday (local time), Trump explained that the European Union would purchase the missiles from the United States and then deliver them to Ukraine.

"We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 per cent for that, and that's the way we want it," Trump said, without specifying the number of Patriot systems to be provided.

The president also said that he plans to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the coming week to discuss Ukraine and other urgent matters, reports Xinhua news agency.

Recently, Trump announced that the United States would send additional weapons to Ukraine, shortly after Moscow claimed new territorial gains.

"We're going to have to send more weapons -- defensive weapons primarily?" Trump told reporters, noting the scale of attacks Ukraine has endured.

"They're getting hit very, very hard," he added while clarifying that he was "not happy" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The US President's assurance came days after Washington had paused certain arms shipments to Kyiv -- a decision that caught Ukrainian officials by surprise and prompted urgent requests for clarification.

The brief halt in military support emerged as a significant concern for Kyiv, which is currently grappling with some of the most severe missile and drone attacks since the war began more than three years ago.

Trump's comments coincided with Russia claiming a new victory on the battlefield, announcing the capture of its first village in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region after months of offensive operations earlier this month.

--IANS

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