Trump says US will send Ukraine Patriot air defense systems
US President Donald Trump said the US will send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, but did not specify how many.
JOINT BASE ANDREWS - President Donald Trump on July 13 said the United States would send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine to
help it fight off a Russian invasion , as his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin soured.
'We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,' Mr Trump said, without specifying how many, just two weeks after Washington said it
would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv .
'I haven't agreed on the number yet, but they're going to have some because they do need protection,' he told reporters.
The weapons delivery will be part of a new deal which Mr Trump says will involve Nato paying the United States for some of the weapons it sends to Ukraine.
'We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they're going to pay us 100 per cent for them,' Mr Trump told reporters.
The US president repeated that he was
'disappointed' in Mr Putin .
When he first returned to the White House in January, Mr Trump insisted he could work with the Russian leader to end the war, but grew increasingly frustrated as Russian missiles continued with no ceasefire in sight.
'Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,' said the disgruntled Mr Trump.
US special envoy Keith Kellogg is due to begin his latest visit to Ukraine on July 14 .
Mr Trump also said he would meet Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14 , when he previously said he would make a 'major statement ... on Russia'. AFP
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