President Donald Trump said the US would provide weapons to Ukraine via the NATO channel, while emphasizing that the entire cost of these weapons would be paid by NATO. He described it as part of a new agreement between Washington, NATO allies and Kiev.
We send weapons to NATO, and NATO will pay for all that. Then NATO will transfer those weapons to Ukraine, Trump said in an interview. This is the first time since his re-appointment that Trump has provided emergency weapons from a reserve to an ally country under the Presidential drawdown Authority (PDA) mechanism.
The aid package could cost around $300 million, including patriot missile defense systems and medium-range rocket artillery, the source said, although a decision on the specific equipment type will be made after a meeting later in the week.
Since returning to the White House, the Trump administration has largely used shipments approved under former President Joe Biden.
Trump also said he would make a "big statement" about Russia early next week, but did not disclose the content. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is conducting talks with Russian officials, including a meeting with Secretary of State Sergei Lavrov in Malaysia.
Mr. Rubio said the US wants to see a clear roadmap to end the conflict, and said that the Trump administration is consulting the Senate on the possibility of applying new sanctions to Russia.
At a conference in Rome on the reconstruction of Ukraine after more than 3 years of conflict, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on countries to use Russian assets to rebuild, provide weapons and invest in common defense production. More than 10 billion euros ($12 billion) have been committed, including 2.3 billion euros from the European Commission.
During the discussions, Russia launched a large-scale airstrike in Ukraine. According to statistics, more than 400 drones and 18 missiles were launched, causing heavy casualties and damage in Kiev. A large number of UAVs were shot down, but many residential areas were still severely affected.
