US to finally send Patriot anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States would send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine to help it respond to Russian strikes, as his relationship with the Russian president deteriorated.

" We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need ," Donald Trump said, two weeks after Washington announced it was suspending some arms deliveries to Kyiv. " I haven't decided how many yet, but they're going to get them because they need protection ," he added.

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The arms delivery will be part of a deal involving NATO, which will pay the United States for weapons it will send to Ukraine, according to Trump. " We're actually going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment, and they're going to pay us 100 percent for it ," Trump told reporters. The US president reiterated that he was " disappointed " in his Russian counterpart.

Donald Trump, who at the beginning of his term had tried to convince Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the conflict, once again expressed his disappointment at the intense Russian air strikes that continued to rain down on Ukraine, with no ceasefire in sight. " Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nicely and then he bombs everyone at night ," said a visibly disgruntled Trump.

US envoy Keith Kellogg is scheduled to begin a new visit to Ukraine on Monday. Donald Trump also said he would meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, a date he previously announced he had " an important statement to make on Russia ."

Meanwhile, influential US Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday again defended his proposal for drastic sanctions against Moscow, a plan that appears to be moving forward as Donald Trump's frustration with the Kremlin grows.

" A turning point is coming " in the war in Ukraine, the Republican senator declared on CBS. His proposal " would give President Trump the ability to impose 500% tariffs on any country that helps Russia and supports Putin's war machine ," he explained. Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was " studying very closely " this proposal. " This is a massive blow that President Trump will have at his disposal to end the war ," insisted Lindsey Graham, who traveled to Europe this week to defend his measures alongside his Democratic partner Richard Blumenthal. The two senators are also scheduled to meet Monday with the NATO secretary general.

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Lindsey Graham also mentioned on Sunday possible measures targeting frozen Russian assets or the sale to European allies of " huge quantities of weapons that could benefit Ukraine ." The measures proposed by the two American senators are among the means that " can bring us closer to peace ," wrote Volodymyr Zelensky on X on Thursday, who has repeatedly called for tightening American sanctions against Russia.