US will send more weapons to Ukraine: Trump

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Ukraine was getting hit very hard by Russia and needed to be able to defend itself. The United States would be sending primarily defensive weapons, he added.

Trump on Friday told reporters that Ukraine would need Patriot missiles to defend itself, but did not mention them again specifically on Monday.

“We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard, now. They’re getting hit very hard. We’re going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons, primarily,” he stated at the start of a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After a call with Trump on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had agreed to work on increasing Kyiv’s capability to “defend the sky” as Russian attacks escalated. He added he discussed joint defense production, purchases and investments with Trump.

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes.

A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s air strikes and battlefield advances.

“It’s a horrible thing, and I’m not happy with President Putin at all,” Trump stated Monday, adding, “I’m disappointed frankly that President Putin hasn’t stopped.”