Trump to meet NATO secretary-general Rutte as plan takes shape for Ukraine weapons sales

New Indian Express

2 days ago

The Rutte visit comes after Trump last week teased that he would make a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday and as Ukraine struggles to repel massive and complex air assaults launched by Russian forces. Trump on Sunday declined to offer further details on his coming announcement.
'We're going to see what we will see tomorrow,' he said.
Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who also appeared on CBS, said there is also growing consensus on Capitol Hill and among European officials about tapping some of the $300 billion in Russian assets frozen by Group of Seven countries early in the war to help Ukraine.
'It's time to do it,' Blumenthal said.
Rubio said Friday that some of the U.S.-made weapons that Ukraine is seeking are deployed with NATO allies in Europe. Those weapons could be more quickly transferred to Ukraine, with European countries buying replacements from the U.S., he said.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, in an interview published Sunday in La Tribune Dimanche, said European officials have been making the case to the Trump administration to bolster air defense capabilities with any coming packages.
He added that France is in a 'capacity hole' and will have to wait until next year before being able to provide Ukraine new ground-air missiles.
Trump is also facing calls from Republicans and Democrats as well as European allies to support legislation in the Senate that aims to cripple Russia's oil industry and hit Moscow with U.S. sanctions for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The legislation, in part, calls for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. It would have an enormous impact on the economies of Brazil, China and India, which account for the vast majority of Russia's energy trade.
'The big offender here is China, India and Brazil,' Graham said. 'My goal is to end this war. And the only way you are going to end this war is to get people who prop up Putin — make them choose between the American economy and helping Putin.'
That revenue is critical in helping keep the Russian war machine humming as the U.S. and Europe have imposed significant import and export bans on a wide range of goods to and from Russia, affecting sectors like finance, energy, transport, technology and defense.
Trump for months had threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia's oil industry.
But the Republican leader has become increasingly exasperated with Putin in recent days and has repeatedly laid into the Russian leader for prolonging the war.
'He talks so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night,' Trump said in his latest broadside against Putin. 'We don't like that.'
Congress has been prepared to act on the legislation, sponsored by Graham and Blumenthal, for some time.