"Pardon me for being late. We had a great meeting with NATO, the secretary general, and we're going to do something a little different for this country. We're going to supply weapons to NATO at a large amount. They're going to deliver the weapons and they're going to pay for 100% of the weapons." United States President Donald Trump says the US is going to send more advanced weaponry to Ukraine, and it will be European countries footing the bill. In what could be his strongest show of support for Ukraine yet, the US President is also threatening to impose 100 per cent 'secondary' tariffs on buyers of Russian exports. Former US Ambassador to Ukraine and Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, William B. Taylor, says Mr Trump is growing weary of the Russian President. 'Well I think President Trump has figured out that (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin has been stringing him along, has been tapping him along as President Trump had said earlier. That President Putin is not serious about any kind of an agreement, a ceasefire (as) President Trump had thought he might be.' The weapons deal, paired with Mr Trump's expression of mounting frustrations with Russia, signals a shifting tone from the administration in its policy towards Ukraine. The threat of sanctions on Russia came with a 50-day grace period in which Vladimir Putin can accept a peace deal. White House officials say the plan is expected to be a 100 per cent tax on the import of Russian goods, along with secondary 100 per cent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas and other energy products. But, Mr Trump says he hopes it doesn't get to that stage. "I've been hearing so much talk, talk, talk. It's all talk and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people. It's got to stop. It's got to stop. But the purpose of this is to say that this is a very big deal we have made. This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO, etc., and that's going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield." Among the weapons included in the deal will be Patriot missile systems, which Ukraine has been urgently requesting and see as crucial to their air defence capabilities. The Patriot Missile System is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal and can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Russia has been scaling up attacks in recent weeks, breaking several of its own records for the volume of drones launched into Ukraine in a single night. William B. Taylor says Ukraine wants the systems to defend from Russia's escalating long range attacks. 'Ukrainians do have Patriot missile systems and they know how to use them. They use them very well. They use them very effectively. They know the value of these Patriot systems and others. So they are, they're very eager to get more of them because they don't have enough.' Under the deal, the United States would sell Patriot air defense missiles to NATO members, which would then supply them to Ukraine. NATO Secretary Mark Rutte says Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada all wanted to be a part of rearming Ukraine. He says the deal will allow Ukraine to access huge military stockpiles sooner. 'This is building on the tremendous success of the NATO Summit, the 5 per cent, but also the decision to keep Ukraine strong and the decision to increase our defense industrial production. So based on this, that was Europe stepping up. This is again Europeans stepping up. So I've been in contact with many countries. I can tell you at this moment Germany massively, but also Finland and Denmark and Sweden and Norway, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canada, they all want to be part of this. And this is only the first wave; there will be more." Throughout his second term, Donald Trump has been pushing for Europe to increase military spending and contribute more to Ukraine's defence efforts. European allies have been urging Washington to ensure any scaling back of military support is coordinated to prevent gaps that may leave NATO members vulnerable to Russian aggression. Mr Taylor says this latest announcement could be beneficial to both the US and Europe. 'The Americans and the Europeans are teaming up in a mutually beneficial way, are teaming up to supply the Ukrainians with the weapons that they need over the longer term. So Putin is going to have to realize over the 50 days or sooner that he's not winning and can't win. And he can't wait us out. That's his only strategy. That's what his only strategy…to try to wait out the the Ukrainians or wait out the Europeans or wait out the Americans. Well, these sanctions and these weapons demonstrate to Putin that he can't wait this out. And then he may have to come to the table and strike a deal. In Kyiv, some residents are expressing cautious optimism over the announcement. While holding out hope for an end to the war, Ukrainians like Artem Horchakov say it is difficult to know how close a deal really is. "Maybe it lifts the mood of society as a whole. He just said a lot, and if there was some result, maybe his words would have been more weighty. And he said and said, people say a lot. Let's see how it goes. Let's hope for the best. I hope that everything will be the way we want. And we want peace, for the war in Ukraine to end, and for all the guys to return alive. Because my father is also a soldier, my friends are military, this affects every family, and me too." In Moscow, Russians like Marina say more weapons will only bring about further destruction. "Very bad, it means a new round of war is beginning. It won't bring anything good to anyone, not to us, not to them, and not to the whole world. It won't be good. People on their side, on our side, will also die and suffer. We don't want that, we just want good neighbourly relations. And don't scare the world with war. We are not war, we are peace."
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