Trump Says US to Send Patriot Missiles to Ukraine, EU to Pay

President Donald Trump said on July 13 that the United States will deliver Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, with the European Union covering the cost, amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said the United States will not bear any cost of the weapons for Ukraine.

“We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment,” he said. “I haven’t agreed on the number yet, but they’re going to have some because they do need protection, but the European Union is paying for it. … We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need.”

Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuing to launch attacks against Ukraine, despite previously signaling support for ending the war that has been going on since February 2022.

“Putin really surprised a lot of people,” Trump said. “He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening. There’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged that Russian forces fired more than 1,800 drones, more than 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 83 missiles of various types on Ukrainian cities over the past week.

Zelenskyy said his nation’s interceptor drones have shot down hundreds of drones used by Russian forces in the past week.

“The Russians are intensifying terror against cities and communities to increasingly intimidate our people,” the Ukrainian leader stated in a July 13 post on social media platform X.

Zelenskyy said he has been in talks with international partners to scale up the use of interceptor drones to respond.

“We must neutralize this threat in order to bring diplomacy into motion sooner,” he said. “We count on strong decisions from the United States, Europe, the G7, and all our partners.”

In a separate post, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is preparing for new long-range strikes against Russia.

“Our units will continue to destroy the occupiers and do everything possible to bring the war onto Russian territory,” he said. “We are preparing our new long-range strikes.”

He noted that Ukraine was preparing for a visit from Keith Kellogg, U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on July 14 to discuss security and sanctions against Russia, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration said.

In a July 10 interview with NBC News, Trump said he had struck a new deal with NATO under which the United States will supply weapons to Ukraine, and the cost will be reimbursed by the alliance. The deal was finalized during the NATO summit in June, he said.

The Defense Department stated on July 7, “At President Trump’s direction, the Department of Defense is 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.”

This came just weeks after the United States paused shipments of some arms to Ukraine on July 2 as part of what the Defense Department said was a capability review to ensure that military aid aligns with U.S. defense priorities. Ukraine had expressed concern that a pause in arms shipments could hinder its ability to defend itself against Russia amid an intensifying Russian advance.

Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.