Latest news with #armsdeliveries
Russia Today
16-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Trump sprang Ukraine surprise on NATO states
Several NATO member states were not notified in advance that they would be asked to fund new arms deliveries to Ukraine under US President Donald Trump's latest proposal, Reuters has reported, citing European officials. On Monday, Trump pledged to provide more US-made weapons to Kiev through a new scheme funded by European NATO members. 'We're not buying it,' Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with the bloc's secretary-general, Mark Rutte. 'We will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it.' Trump noted that the plan is seen by Washington as a business opportunity. Rutte said six countries – Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Canada – were willing to take part in the arms procurement scheme. However, high-ranking sources at the embassies of two of those countries told Reuters they only learned of their supposed participation when the announcement was made. 'It is my clear sense that nobody has been briefed about the exact details in advance,' one European ambassador told Reuters. 'And I also suspect that internally in the administration they are only now beginning to sort out what it means in practice.' Several countries have already distanced themselves from Trump's plan. According to Politico and La Stampa, France and Italy will not be financially supporting the effort. Hungary and the Czech Republic have also declined to participate, with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala saying Prague is focusing on other projects. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, on the other hand, has welcomed the proposal but emphasized that Washington should 'share the burden,' stating that if European countries pay for the weapons, it should be considered as 'European support.' Since taking office in January, Trump has renewed pressure on NATO members to increase defense spending and warned that the US may not defend allies who do not meet their obligations. Russia has repeatedly condemned Western arms supplies to Ukraine, arguing that it only prolongs the bloodshed and does not change the course of the conflict. The Kremlin maintains that foreign military aid is being used to escalate the hostilities rather than seek a diplomatic resolution.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Trump to speak with Putin, may call Zelensky amid arms halt
US President Donald Trump announced he would hold a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, raising speculation about the topics to be discussed amid rising tensions in Eastern Europe and a US pause on arms deliveries to Ukraine. 'Will be speaking to President Putin of Russia at 10:00 A.M. Thank you!' Trump posted on his social media platform, without providing further details on the nature of the conversation. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian source told Reuters that Trump is also expected to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. The Financial Times reported that the two leaders are likely to address the recent suspension of key US weapons shipments to Ukraine. According to sources familiar with the matter, Zelensky plans to press Trump on potential future arms deals during the call, though the timing could still change. The US decision to pause certain weapons transfers to Kiev, reportedly due to diminishing stockpiles, has sparked alarm in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials summoned the acting US envoy to Kiev on Wednesday to stress the critical need for continued military assistance. Kiev warned that any disruption in US military aid would significantly weaken its defenses against intensified Russian air assaults and ground operations. The Pentagon has halted shipments of critical air defense missiles and precision munitions to Ukraine due to mounting concerns that US weapons stockpiles have "fallen too low," Politico reported on Wednesday at dawn. The move, reportedly spearheaded by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, follows an internal review of US military reserves. The review concluded that current stockpiles of Patriot interceptors, Hellfire missiles, precision-guided artillery rounds, and other vital munitions have fallen to levels considered insufficient for America's national defense priorities. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly confirmed the decision, stating it was made 'to put America's interests first' following a Department of Defense reassessment of global military aid commitments. 'The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,' she said in a statement. Ukrainian officials on Wednesday urgently requested clarification from the United States following its announcement of a halt in the delivery of air defense ammunition, as the country faces unprecedented waves of Russian aerial attacks. According to media reports, Ukrainian officials either remained silent or declined to comment when questioned about the US decision, suggesting they were caught off guard. A senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, stated that Kiev is 'now verifying with the Americans what exactly is happening.' Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that any reduction or suspension in Western weapons supplies to Ukraine would contribute significantly to ending the conflict.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
First Thing: Trump does deal with Nato allies to arm Ukraine and warns Russia of severe sanctions
Good morning. Donald Trump said he had sealed an agreement with Nato allies that will lead to large-scale arms deliveries to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, and warned Russia that it will face severe sanctions if it does not make peace within 50 days. After a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Trump said they had agreed 'a very big deal' under which 'billions of dollars' worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to Nato … And that's going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.' The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he was 'grateful to President Trump' in his nightly video address. What does it mean for the war? The US will sell weapons to Ukraine, the president said, with other Nato countries paying the bill. Otherwise, specifics were scant. No sums of money were mentioned, making it hard to calibrate how much of a difference the proposed weapon supply will make to Kyiv. What about sanctions? Nothing new right now. Trump did promise to levy a 100% tariff on Russia if Putin did not agree a deal to halt the fighting within 50 days. So what's the significance? Make no mistake: tonally, Trump's statements are a significant U-turn on his approach to the war. 'We're very unhappy – I am – with Russia,' he said. A feud has broken out between the Israeli government and the military over the cost and impact of a planned camp for Palestinians in southern Gaza, as politicians criticized the former prime minister Ehud Olmert for warning that the project would create a 'concentration camp' if it goes ahead. The row came as Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 31 people, according to local hospitals. Twelve people were killed by strikes in southern Gaza, including three who were waiting at an aid distribution point, according to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, which received the bodies. Meanwhile, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, hailed a 30-nation conference aimed at ending Israel's occupation of Palestine as 'the most significant political development in the past 20 months'. How have Hamas negotiators reacted to the news? It has become a sticking point in ceasefire talks with Hamas, which is pushing for a more comprehensive withdrawal. Husam Badran, a senior member of the group, said the camp plans were a 'deliberatively obstructive demand' that would complicate talks, the New York Times reported. Undocumented farm workers feel they are being 'hunted like animals', they told the Guardian, as Donald Trump's administration ramps up its crackdown on immigration. Raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) have caused workers to lose hours and income and forced them into hiding at home, according to interviews. An Ice raid at a cannabis farm in the county last week resulted in a worker suffering fatal injuries after falling from a greenhouse. What did workers tell the Guardian? An undocumented farm worker in Ventura County, California, said: 'You can't go out peacefully to do things, or go to work with any peace of mind any more. We're stressed out and our kids are stressed out. No one is the same since these raids started.' Who was the man who died after an Ice raid? Jaime Alanís died a day after a frenzied immigration raid of Glass House Farms in Ventura County where authorities arrested at least 200 workers. The 57-year-old, who was from the town of Huajúmbaro in Michoacán, Mexico, was described as a 'hard-working, innocent farmer'. The former New York governor Andrew Cuomo will run independently for New York City mayor, after losing in the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani. Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed nearly 300 people in attacks in North Kordofan state that began on Saturday, according to Sudanese activists. The French government has signalled a willingness to discuss reparations for colonial massacres in Niger, more than a century after French troops burned villages and looted cultural artefacts. The week after its Grok chatbot identified itself as 'MechaHitler' and generated antisemitic posts, Elon Musk's xAI firm announced a contract with the Department of Defense worth nearly $200m. The deal is for developing and implementing artificial intelligence tools for the agency. Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old state assembly member who won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor last month, campaigned on a platform of affordability, including proposals for free childcare for children aged six weeks and older. He plans to fund it by raising taxes on corporations and the city's richest residents. How would it work? In July 1987, the Guadalupe River in Texas rose nearly 30ft during a ferocious rainstorm, which led 10 children to drown. On 4 July this year, another flash flood hit the Guadalupe: the death toll is now nearly 130 people. One survivor asked: 'Why didn't they learn from this?' Cameras have started rolling for HBO's Harry Potter TV series at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the UK. HBO has provided a first glimpse of the new series, which promises to be a 'faithful adaptation' of JK Rowling's novels – 'full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years', according to HBO's announcement in 2023. First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@ Editor's note: due to an editing error, you may be receiving today's newsletter later than usual. We apologise for the delay.
Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Ukrainians welcome US aid but see Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Putin as too long
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainians welcomed President Donald Trump's pledge of more U.S.-made weapons in their fight against Russia's invasion , even though it is unclear what exactly they will get and how quickly. The time frame for further arms deliveries that European countries have agreed to pay for is crucial.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump does deal with Nato allies to arm Ukraine and warns Russia of severe sanctions
Donald Trump said he has sealed an agreement with Nato allies that will lead to large-scale arms deliveries to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, and warned Russia that it will face severe sanctions if Moscow does not make peace within 50 days. After a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Trump said they had agreed 'a very big deal', in which 'billions of dollars' worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to Nato … And that's going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.' Speaking in the White House alongside a clearly delighted Rutte, the US president said the arms deliveries would be comprehensive and would include the Patriot missile batteries that Ukraine desperately needs for its air defences against a daily Russian aerial onslaught. 'It's everything: it's Patriots. It's all of them. It's a full complement, with the batteries,' Trump said. He did not go into any more detail, but made clear the weapons would be entirely paid for by Washington's European allies, and that initial missile deliveries would come 'within days' from European stocks, on the understanding they would be replenished with US supplies. At a White House lunch with religious leaders later in the day, Trump said the deal was 'fully approved, fully done'. 'We'll send them a lot of weapons of all kinds and they're going to deliver those weapons immediately … and they're going to pay,' he said. At his meeting with Trump, Rutte said there was a significant number of Nato allies – including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada – ready to rearm Ukraine as part of the deal. 'They all want to be part of this. And this is only the first wave. There will be more,' he said. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said last week that Berlin was ready to acquire additional Patriot systems. Trump claimed there was one country, which he did not name, but which had '17 Patriots getting ready to be shipped'. Monday's deal would include that stockpile, or 'a big portion of the 17', he said. Such an arms delivery would represent a significant reinforcement of Ukraine's air defences. Kyiv is currently thought to have only six Patriot batteries, at a time when it is coming under frequent and intense Russian drone and missile bombardments. At the same time, Trump expressed increased frustration with Vladimir Putin, whom he accused of giving the impression of pursuing peace while intensifying attacks on Ukrainian cities. He gave the Russian president a new deadline of 50 days to end the fighting or face 100% tariffs on Russian goods, and more importantly, sweeping 'secondary tariffs', suggesting trade sanctions would be imposed on countries who continue to pay for Russian oil and other commodities. 'The secondary tariffs are very, very powerful,' the president said. The announcement marked a dramatic change for the administration, both in substance and tone. The Trump White House had not only made clear it would continue its predecessor's policy of continuing to supply Ukraine out of US stocks, but the president and his top officials have been derisive about Kyiv's chances of prevailing. On Monday, Trump delivered his most admiring language on Ukraine and its European backers to date, with Rutte on one side and the US vice-president, JD Vance, the administration's biggest sceptic on US involvement in Europe, on the other. 'They fought with tremendous courage, and they continue to fight with tremendous courage,' Trump said of the Ukrainians. 'Europe has a lot of spirit for this war,' he said, suggesting he had been taken by surprise by the level of commitment shown by European allies at the Nato summit in The Hague last month. 'The level of esprit de corps spirit that they have is amazing,' he said. 'They really think it's very, very important. 'Having a strong Europe is a very good thing. It's a very good thing. So I'm okay with it,' he said. Trump described his deepening disillusion with Putin, and suggested his wife, Melania, may have played a role in pointing out the Russian leader's duplicity in talks over a peace deal. 'My conversations with him are always very pleasant. I say, isn't that a very lovely conversation? And then the missiles go off that night,' Trump said. 'I go home, I tell the first lady: I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation. She said: Really? Another city was just hit.' Ukrainian regional officials reported at least six civilians killed and 30 injured by Russian bombing in the past 24 hours. The country's air force said Moscow had attacked with 136 drones and four S-300 or S-400 missiles. 'Look, I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy. It's been proven over the years. He's fooled a lot of people,' Trump said, listing his predecessors in the White House. 'He didn't fool me. But what I do say is that at a certain point, ultimately talk doesn't talk. It's got to be action,' he said. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. Russian officials and pro-war bloggers on Monday largely shrugged off Trump's announcement, declaring it to be less significant than anticipated. Konstantin Kosachev, a senior Russian lawmaker, wrote on Telegram that it amounted to 'hot air'. It was broadly welcomed in Kyiv, where there has been longstanding and deep anxiety about Trump's intentions. Andrii Kovalenko, a member of Ukraine's national security and defence council, posted a one-word response: 'Cool.' There was still scepticism however, over whether even the promise of new weaponry for Ukraine combined with the threat of trade sanctions would be enough to halt Russia's offensive. Illia Ponomarenko, a Ukrainian journalist and blogger wrote: 'How many Ukrainian lives could have been saved if, from the very beginning, Trump had listened to wise and honest people about helping Ukraine, instead of the artful lies of that cannibal Putin on the phone?'.
