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Donald Trump has said the US will send more weapons to Ukraine, less than a week after Washington abruptly halted deliveries of some critical weaponry for Kyiv.
The president’s comments signalled a departure from the Pentagon’s stance that the US stockpile of certain weapons might have diminished too much to sustain the flow to Ukraine.
“We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to, they have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said, adding the weapons would primarily be defensive. “They’re getting hit very hard now.”
Trump’s comments came amid warming ties with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and as he repeated that he was “not happy” with Russian President Vladimir Putin for failing to find an end to the war.
The Pentagon said the US would be “sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops”.
The pause in deliveries came after a “capability review” conducted “to ensure US military aid aligns with our defence priorities”, the defence department told reporters last week.
On Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said: “Our framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defence priorities.”
Many of the weapons affected are crucial to Ukraine’s air capabilities and defence, including the PAC-3 interceptors for the Patriot systems, dozens of Stinger man-portable air defence systems, and AIM missiles launched by Ukraine’s NASAMS and F-16 fighter jets, according to senior US officials.
Anti-tank systems such as the AT4 grenade launcher were also affected, while some of the 250 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rounds used to strike ground targets accurately at long distances were held up.
The halt in weapons deliveries came at a critical time in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow escalating its aerial campaign in recent weeks. Russia launched its largest-ever drone and missile attack on Ukraine on Friday, just two days after the US stopped sending the weapons, which Kyiv relies on at the front lines.
Moscow’s troops have also been advancing on the eastern battlefields at their fastest pace since November, threatening several important Ukrainian strongholds.
Trump and Zelenskyy discussed Ukraine’s air defence needs in a phone call on Friday.
Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed the wartime situation, “including Russian air strikes and the broader frontline developments” following the Russian assault.
Before the Pentagon stopped the deliveries, Trump had said Washington was looking into making more Patriot missiles available to Ukraine. Zelenskyy has said he is willing to buy Patriot air defence batteries, interceptors and other weapons from the US.
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