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BreakingNews.ie
16-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details'
US president Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements. Now comes the hard part — agreeing on who will actually give up their prized systems, including the Patriot missile batteries that Kyiv has been desperately seeking. "We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to Nato," Mr Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. Advertisement Some Patriot missile defence systems should arrive in Ukraine "within days," added Mr Trump, who faces resistance from some high-profile figures in the MAGA movement who oppose US support for Ukraine. The costly Patriot systems - in high demand among US allies - have proven effective at destroying Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Ukraine's cities. The US has also signalled willingness under the proposed arrangement with European allies to send additional offensive weapons, said one source familiar with the matter, though Mr Trump has said that Ukraine should refrain from attacking Moscow. The plan, which Mr Trump and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte hatched in recent days, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, has been received positively by Ukraine and its allies. Advertisement Leaders in Kyiv and elsewhere have celebrated a major tonal shift from Mr Trump, who had until recent weeks spoken glowingly of Russian president Vladimir Putin. But since the announcement, it has become clear Mr Trump presented a framework - not a fleshed-out plan. How material any support ends up being for Ukraine will depend on coming negotiations about who provides which equipment, according to 10 officials in the US and Europe. "As always with these things, the devil is in the details," said one northern European ambassador in Washington. The central question is who would donate the Patriot batteries, and when. Advertisement Spare a Patriot? During his Oval Office meeting with Mr Trump on Monday, Mr Rutte mentioned six Nato countries - Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada - that were willing to participate in the weapons-purchasing scheme. High-ranking sources at two of those countries' embassies in the US told Reuters they personally learned of the plan as it was announced. Even close US allies appeared to learn of the proposal in real time. "It is my clear sense that nobody has been briefed about the exact details in advance, and I also suspect that internally in the administration they are only now beginning to sort out what it means in practice," said a separate European ambassador. Kurt Volker, a former US ambassador to Nato, said Mr Trump found a way to balance support for Ukraine with the political realities of the Republican Party. Advertisement Having the European allies underwrite US arms supplies is "very consistent with what he (Trump) said during the campaign," he said. Throughout the campaign, Mr Trump said he would push European countries to spend more on defence, to great applause from MAGA crowds. "You gotta pay," he said. "If they're not going to pay, we're not going to protect, ok?" Mr Volker said Ukraine could ultimately receive 12 to 13 Patriot batteries but it could take a year for them all to be delivered. Asked for comment, a Nato official said the defence alliance would coordinate weapons deliveries through a mechanism known as the Nato Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, a Nato mission located in Germany that is responsible for coordinating Western military aid for Kyiv. Advertisement "Several European countries have already committed to support this initiative including Germany, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada and Finland," the official said. "Details are still under discussion." In response to a request for comment, the Pentagon referred Reuters to Mr Trump's Monday remarks announcing his agreement with Mr Rutte. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Ukrainian or Russian embassies in Washington. 'WE ARE READY' The rapid hardening of Mr Trump's rhetoric toward Moscow in recent weeks has come amid an increasingly firm belief that Putin is not engaging in good-faith negotiations, according to two US officials. "At a certain point, you know, ultimately talk doesn't talk. It's got to be action. It's got to be results," Mr Trump said during his meeting with Mr Rutte on Monday. One of the officials said Mr Trump came to realize that Putin's ambitions extend beyond Crimea and four eastern regions of Ukraine, a point Kyiv and European allies have publicly and frequently made. Three Russian sources close to the Kremlin said Putin will not stop the war under pressure from the West and believe that Russia - which has survived the toughest sanctions imposed by the West - can endure further economic hardship, including Mr Trump's Monday threat to impose US tariffs targeting buyers of Russian oil. Now, three US officials involved in weapons matters said, the real work begins. US officials are now talking with Nato allies and gauging who is willing to send what to Ukraine. European officials have been broadly receptive. "We are ready to participate," Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of European Union ministers. Patriot battery One official cited Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain as good candidates to send a Patriot battery to Kyiv, either because they had multiple batteries or the threats they face are relatively remote. Some, including Greece and Spain, have previously resisted appeals from allies to give some of their Patriot systems to Ukraine, arguing that they are essential to defend their own countries and Nato as a whole. Mr Trump's move to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine has created some mild friction in Europe. "If we pay for these weapons, it's our support," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking after the Brussels meeting, adding that she welcomed Mr Trump's decision. "So it's European support, and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine ... If you promise to give the weapons, but say that somebody else is going to pay for it, it's not really given by you, is it?" One of the officials said that the Trump administration has been going through Nato inventories to see what's available. Their next effort is to attempt to persuade the allies to gift the equipment to Ukraine in exchange for a "trade" of some sort, the official said. The trade could be a variety of things, the official said, including giving up an impending acceptance of a piece of military equipment through the Foreign Military Sales programme, or sending munitions to Ukraine in exchange for an earlier replenishment date. Confusion Mr Trump told reporters there was one country with 17 Patriots, some of which would go directly to Ukraine. The figure has caused widespread confusion among European allies and on Capitol Hill - many of whom have not been briefed - according to the US and European officials. No Nato member except the US has that number of Patriot systems, said two sources familiar with the matter, causing speculation that Mr Trump may have been referring to particular Patriot components, like launchers or missiles. German defence minister Boris Pistorius, who visited the Pentagon on Monday, said the Germans would discuss sending Patriot batteries to Ukraine with the US in the coming days or weeks. But no Patriot system would arrive in Kyiv for months, he said, likely delaying any receipt until after the tactically crucial summer months. Another official said Mr Trump was engaged directly in negotiations, though talks so far were "squishy". "So far folks have said, 'We can help,'" that official said. "Now, what that means, we don't know."
Japan Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details'
U.S. President Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements. Now comes the hard part — agreeing on who will actually give up their prized systems, including the Patriot missile batteries that Kyiv has been desperately seeking. "We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to NATO," Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. Some Patriot missile defense systems should arrive in Ukraine "within days," added Trump, who faces resistance from some high-profile figures in the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement who oppose U.S. support for Ukraine.
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details'
WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements. Now comes the hard part — agreeing on who will actually give up their prized systems, including the Patriot missile batteries that Kyiv has been desperately seeking. "We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to NATO," Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. Some Patriot missile defense systems should arrive in Ukraine "within days," added Trump, who faces resistance from some high-profile figures in the MAGA movement who oppose U.S. support for Ukraine. The costly Patriot systems - in high demand among U.S. allies - have proven effective at destroying Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Ukraine's cities. The U.S. has also signaled willingness under the proposed arrangement with European allies to send additional offensive weapons, said one source familiar with the matter, though Trump has said that Ukraine should refrain from attacking Moscow. The plan, which Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte hatched in recent days, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, has been received positively by Ukraine and its allies. Leaders in Kyiv and elsewhere have celebrated a major tonal shift from Trump, who had until recent weeks spoken glowingly of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But since the announcement, it has become clear Trump presented a framework - not a fleshed-out plan. How material any support ends up being for Ukraine will depend on coming negotiations about who provides which equipment, according to 10 officials in the U.S. and Europe. "As always with these things, the devil is in the details," said one northern European ambassador in Washington. The central question is who would donate the Patriot batteries, and when. During his Oval Office meeting with Trump on Monday, Rutte mentioned six NATO countries - Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada - that were willing to participate in the weapons-purchasing scheme. High-ranking sources at two of those countries' embassies in the U.S. told Reuters they personally learned of the plan as it was announced. Even close U.S. allies appeared to learn of the proposal in real time. "It is my clear sense that nobody has been briefed about the exact details in advance, and I also suspect that internally in the administration they are only now beginning to sort out what it means in practice," said a separate European ambassador. Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, said Trump found a way to balance support for Ukraine with the political realities of the Republican Party. Having the European allies underwrite U.S. arms supplies is "very consistent with what he (Trump) said during the campaign," he said. Throughout the campaign, Trump said he would push European countries to spend more on defense, to great applause from MAGA crowds. "You gotta pay," he said. "If they're not going to pay, we're not going to protect, ok?" Volker said Ukraine could ultimately receive 12 to 13 Patriot batteries but it could take a year for them all to be delivered. Asked for comment, a NATO official said the defense alliance would coordinate weapons deliveries through a mechanism known as the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, a NATO mission located in Germany that is responsible for coordinating Western military aid for Kyiv. "Several European countries have already committed to support this initiative including Germany, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada and Finland," the official said. "Details are still under discussion." In response to a request for comment, the Pentagon referred Reuters to Trump's Monday remarks announcing his agreement with Rutte. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Ukrainian or Russian embassies in Washington. The rapid hardening of Trump's rhetoric toward Moscow in recent weeks has come amid an increasingly firm belief that Putin is not engaging in good-faith negotiations, according to two U.S. officials. "At a certain point, you know, ultimately talk doesn't talk. It's got to be action. It's got to be results," Trump said during his meeting with Rutte on Monday. One of the officials said Trump came to realize that Putin's ambitions extend beyond Crimea and four eastern regions of Ukraine, a point Kyiv and European allies have publicly and frequently made. Three Russian sources close to the Kremlin said Putin will not stop the war under pressure from the West and believe that Russia - which has survived the toughest sanctions imposed by the West - can endure further economic hardship, including Trump's Monday threat to impose U.S. tariffs targeting buyers of Russian oil. Now, three U.S. officials involved in weapons matters said, the real work begins. U.S. officials are now talking with NATO allies and gauging who is willing to send what to Ukraine. European officials have been broadly receptive. "We are ready to participate," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of European Union ministers. One official cited Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain as good candidates to send a Patriot battery to Kyiv, either because they had multiple batteries or the threats they face are relatively remote. Some, including Greece and Spain, have previously resisted appeals from allies to give some of their Patriot systems to Ukraine, arguing that they are essential to defend their own countries and NATO as a whole. Trump's move to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine has created some mild friction in Europe. "If we pay for these weapons, it's our support," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking after the Brussels meeting, adding that she welcomed Trump's decision. "So it's European support, and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine ... If you promise to give the weapons, but say that somebody else is going to pay for it, it's not really given by you, is it?" One of the officials said that the Trump administration has been going through NATO inventories to see what's available. Their next effort is to attempt to persuade the allies to gift the equipment to Ukraine in exchange for a "trade" of some sort, the official said. The trade could be a variety of things, the official said, including giving up an impending acceptance of a piece of military equipment through the Foreign Military Sales program, or sending munitions to Ukraine in exchange for an earlier replenishment date. Trump told reporters there was one country with 17 Patriots, some of which would go directly to Ukraine. The figure has caused widespread confusion among European allies and on Capitol Hill - many of whom have not been briefed - according to the U.S. and European officials. No NATO member except the U.S. has that number of Patriot systems, said two sources familiar with the matter, causing speculation that Trump may have been referring to particular Patriot components, like launchers or missiles. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who visited the Pentagon on Monday, said the Germans would discuss sending Patriot batteries to Ukraine with the U.S. in the coming days or weeks. But no Patriot system would arrive in Kyiv for months, he said, likely delaying any receipt until after the tactically crucial summer months. Another official said Trump was engaged directly in negotiations, though talks so far were "squishy." "So far folks have said, 'We can help,'" that official said. "Now, what that means, we don't know."
CNN
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
What are Patriot missiles and why does Ukraine need them so badly?
US President Donald Trump's announcement that Ukraine will receive Patriot missile systems as part of a new package of US weaponry has been warmly welcomed in Kyiv as it reels under nightly Russian bombardments. President Volodymyr Zelensky has made repeated requests for Patriots in recent weeks as Moscow sends record numbers of drones and missiles to cause havoc and fear in Ukrainian cities and towns. But there were few specifics in Trump's announcement, and major questions remain over how many Ukraine will receive, when they will arrive, and who will provide them. Here's what we know about the vaunted US missile defense system: The Patriots, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, are the US Army's key missile defense system. They most recently proved their worth last month, when they helped shoot down 13 out of 14 incoming Iranian missiles that were launched at the US Air Force's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The latest versions of Patriot interceptors are capable of engaging incoming short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at altitudes up to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) and distances of up to 35 kilometers. Analysts say that gives a single Patriot battery the ability to cover 100 to 200 square kilometers of area, depending on how many launchers are in the battery, local terrain and other conditions. That's not a large area in a country the size of Ukraine, at more than 603,000 kilometers in total area. Hence, Kyiv's need for multiple new Patriot batteries. A battery consists of six to eight missile launchers, each capable of carrying up to 16 interceptors, along with a phased-array radar, a control station, a power generation station – all mounted on trucks and trailers. About 90 people are assigned to a Patriot battery, but only three soldiers in the command and control center can operate it in a combat situation, according to US military reports. A Patriot battery is expensive, with the complete setup of launchers, radars and interceptor missiles costing more than a billion dollars, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). A single interceptor costs up to $4 million, making their use against cheap Russian drones that can cost as little as $50,000 problematic, according to a CSIS report – especially when Russia is sending hundreds of drones a night in recent attacks on Ukraine. In regards to the latest transfer, US officials said Patriots could get to Ukraine quicker if they were moved from European NATO allies to Ukraine, with those then being replaced by systems bought from the US. Trump said some or all of 17 Patriot batteries ordered by other countries could get to Ukraine 'very quickly,' according to a Reuters report. According to the 'Military Balance 2025' from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, six NATO allies – Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain – have Patriot batteries in their arsenals. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday that several nations – including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway – could be potential suppliers of the new equipment, but did not specifically mention the Patriots as coming from those countries. There has been concern inside and outside the military that US Patriot inventories may be stretched too thin. 'It is our most stressed force element,' Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army, told a dialogue at the CSIS earlier this month. He noted the Patriot unit in Qatar that helped defend the Al Udeid air base had been deployed to the Middle East for 500 days, Mingus said, a 'very stressed force element.' Ukraine has said it needs 10 new Patriot batteries to protect itself against Russia's increased onslaught of missiles and drones. Kyiv has already received six fully operational Patriot batteries – two from the US, two from Germany, one from Romania and one jointly given by Germany and the Netherlands, according to the UK-based arms monitoring group Action on Armed Violence. Analysts say Patriots alone can't end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Wesley Clark, a retired US Army general and former NATO supreme commander, told CNN's Lynda Kinkade on Monday that the for the arms package to have real effect on the battlefield, it would have to include more than air defense systems. 'If you want to really stop this, you've got to strike Russia and you've got to strike deep,' Clark said. 'you have to shoot the archer and not the arrows coming in.' CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report
15-07-2025
- Politics
Trump threatens 'severe tariffs' on Russia if ceasefire deal with Ukraine not reached
It comes as the president announces NATO will send U.S. Patriot Missile systems to Ukraine.
