Trump to Send Ukraine Patriot Missiles, Teases ‘Major Statement' Ahead of NATO Talks
In the light of this, Trump's Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kyiv on Monday. Meanwhile, Trump will meet with NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, in Washington as the US President promised he would make a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday. Patriot Missiles to Ukraine
Late on Sunday, Trump announced that the US will send the much-needed Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, to help it in fending off Russian aerial attacks. 'We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,' Trump told reporters. 'I haven't agreed on the number yet, but they're going to have some because they do need protection,' he added.
The Patriot air defense system is one of the world's best systems, capable of detecting and intercepting a wide range of incoming air targets, particularly high-end ballistic missiles.
Hours after Trump's announcement, Kellogg arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials. The talks will cover 'defense, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protection of our people and enhancing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States,' according to the head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andreii Yermak. Growing Frustration
Promising to end it in '24 hours' during his presidential campaign, Trump has made stopping the war in Ukraine one of top his diplomatic priorities. However, after multiple rounds of talks between American and Russian officials, Trump has expressed increasing frustration with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who has for months refused a ceasefire proposed by Washington and Kyiv.
As he made the Patriot missiles announcement, Trump said that Putin 'talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening.'
Trump has also hinted at imposing sanctions on Moscow. In the light of this, US senators are considering a bipartisan bill that will grant Trump a 'sledgehammer' to use against Russia.
The bill will allow Trump to 'go after Putin's economy, and all those countries who prop up the Putin war machine,' the Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, told CBS News. It will allow the US President to impose a 500% tariff on countries buying Russian goods, including China, India and Brazil. NATO Meeting
Trump will meet with the NATO General-Secretary, Mark Rutte, who visits Washington on Monday and Tuesday. Rutte will also meet the US State Secretary, Marco Rubio; Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth; and some Congress members.
The US President and the NATO chief will discuss weapons sales to Ukraine. Trump told reporters that the weapons delivery to Kyiv is part of a deal that involves NATO paying for some weapons.
'I'm gonna have a meeting with the secretary-general who's coming in tomorrow. But we basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated (weapons) and they're gonna pay us 100% for them,' he said. Major Statement
The US had announced earlier this month it would stop some weapon deliveries to Ukraine, as Trump had considered it a waste of US taxpayer money. But now that Trump has changed his position and showed increased interest in helping Ukraine, Graham said that 'the conflict is nearing an inflection point.'
During his interview with CBS News, Graham said: 'In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves. One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table.'
Trump's meeting with Rutte comes after the US President teased a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday as Moscow has intensified its strikes against Ukraine, launching some of the largest missile and drone strikes in the more than three-year war.
However, the US President declined to reveal further details on the planned statement. 'We're going to see what we will see tomorrow,' Trump told reporters on Sunday.
Short link :
Post Views: 11
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
US appeals court temporarily upholds protected status for Afghans
A US appeals court has blocked for now a bid by President Donald Trump's administration to strip Temporary Protected Status from thousands of Afghans in the United States, court documents showed, allowing them more time to argue the case. Monday's order by the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted an administrative stay on the termination until July 21, following a request from immigration advocacy organization CASA. The group's lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security challenged the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghans and Cameroonians unveiled by the administration in April. The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time of the April announcement, it had said conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer merited the protected status. The TPS program provides protection against deportation and work permits for periods of six to 18 months to those from countries stricken by natural disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary events. The status can be renewed by the homeland security secretary. Trump's effort to end most TPS enrollment during his first term from 2017 to 2021 was thwarted by federal courts. CASA sought an emergency stay on Monday, when the protection of Afghans was set to be terminated, while that of Cameroonians was set to end on August 4, the court document showed. The group said the step was arbitrary and discriminatory and would cause 'irreparable harm' to those affected, as it sought a stay while the appeals proceed. The administration has time until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday (3:59 a.m. GMT on Thursday) to respond. The stay was not a final decision, but gave time for the legal challenge, said Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups that coordinates resettlements with the government. 'AfghanEvac stands firmly behind the legal challenge and calls on DHS and the Trump administration to immediately reverse course and extend TPS protections,' VanDiver said in an email. The United States evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, of whom more than 70,000 entered the US on temporary 'parole,' or legal entry for two years. Rights advocates have said many Afghans who helped the United States during its war in Afghanistan would be targets of the Taliban if they returned home. Particularly at risk would be women, whose rights the Taliban have curbed since their return to power after the US withdrawal, rights groups say.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
US opens national security probes into imported drones, polysilicon
The US Commerce Department said on Monday it has opened national security investigations into the import of drones and related components as well as polysilicon, a key component in solar panels and semiconductors. The 'Section 232' investigations, which were opened on July 1 but not publicly disclosed previously, could be used as a basis for even higher tariffs on imported drones and polysilicon and its derivatives. The Trump administration has already opened numerous national security investigations, including into the import of commercial aircraft, jet engines and parts, medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks and related parts, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. China accounts for the vast majority of US commercial drone sales. Washington has increasingly cracked down on Chinese drones over the last few years. DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, sells more than half of all US commercial drones. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation that could eventually ban DJI and Autel from selling new drone models in the United States. In January, the Commerce Department under Biden said it was considering rules to restrict or ban Chinese drones in the US, citing national security concerns. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month aimed at boosting the US drone industry. The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International said it supported the drone probe that will review supply chain concentration, domestic production capacity, and the role of foreign subsidies and pricing practices. 'The dependence on adversary-manufactured systems that are dumped in the US below market value due to foreign government subsidies has also stifled the growth of a secure American drone industrial base, undercutting innovation, and forcing US manufacturers to compete on an uneven playing field,' said AUVSI CEO Michael Robbins.
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
To Whom It May Concern: Trump's tariff letters cause a stir among world leaders
Ninety trade deals in 90 days didn't happen early in President Donald Trump's second term. Liberation Day panicked the financial markets in April. And bespoke trade agreements with dozens of countries he has said takes too much time. 'There's 200 countries,' the president acknowledged. 'You can't talk to all of them.' So Trump repackaged his plan to slap tariffs on almost every nation in a series of unusual presidential letters to foreign leaders that set new thresholds not just for trade negotiations–but also for diplomatic style, tone, and delivery. Most are fill-in-the-blank form letters that include leaders' names and a tariff rate. Words are capitalized using Trump's distinct social media style. A few typos and formatting issues appear throughout. They generally include an opening flourish of salutation, a grievance, the threat of a big jump in tariffs, a new deadline, and an escape ramp allowing that 'we will perhaps consider an adjustment to this letter if certain conditions are met.' Rather than typical diplomatic talk of things like 'enduring mutual respect,' Trump closes with 'Thank you for your attention to this matter!' and 'Best wishes,' followed by his signature of three long strokes linked by and about 14 short ones. He appears to have paid special attention to his letters to Canada, with which he's been fighting and taunting for months, and Brazil, which he singled out for 50 percent tariffs apparently based on a personal grudge rather than economics. A negotiation tactic: The good news for the leaders of foreign countries Trump suggested is that if he sent you a letter, he wants to negotiate. 'A letter means a deal,' he said during a Cabinet meeting. 'We can't meet with 200 countries.' But he's also managed to make his erratic trade policy baffling for American trading partners eager to negotiate a way to dodge his wrath. The president escalated a conflict he started with America's second-biggest trading partner and longstanding ally, raising the tariff–effectively a tax–on many Canadian imports to 35 percent effective Aug. 1. On Saturday, Trump announced more tariffs still, this time on two of the United States' biggest trade partners: the European Union and Mexico at 30 percent each. And it's far from clear that these tariffs would benefit Americans' bottom lines. Trump's threat to boost import taxes by 50 percent on Brazilian goods could drive up the cost of breakfast in the United States by making staples of the American diet, such as coffee and orange juice, more expensive. Reception has been… spotty: The response to the letters, which the White House says will also be mailed, has been mixed. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's office issued a mild statement acknowledging the new Aug. 1 deadline and suggesting he would 'stay the course steadfastly defend(ing) our workers and businesses.' Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, meanwhile, vowed retaliatory tariffs and ordered his diplomats to return Trump's letter if it ever physically arrives at the presidential palace in Brasilia. 'Respect is good,' Lula told TV Record. 'I like to offer mine and I like to receive it.'
