“We’re
sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100 percent,”
he said in a phone interview with NBC News. “So, what we’re doing is,
the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be
giving those weapons to Ukraine, and NATO is paying for those weapons.”
The president added that the deal was struck in June at
the NATO summit in The Hague.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US
is talking to multiple countries in Europe, including Spain and
Germany that have Patriot batteries — a key element in the defense system used
to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles — about sending them over to
Kyiv.
“Well, the Spaniards have them. They’re really far from
Ukraine and they have one. The Germans have, others have them — I’m not
singling them out, but I’m just telling you those are two that I know,”
Rubio told reporters while in Malaysia after his
meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “There are other
Patriot batteries, and there are other opportunities.”
The
conversation comes as the president intensified his criticism of
Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying the two
leaders have made “no progress” on brokering a potential ceasefire
between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also said he does not think Putin is looking
to halt the war in Eastern Europe, which has been ongoing since its invasion of
Ukraine in 2022.
The Trump administration restarted sending some defense
weapons to Ukraine on Monday, days after the Defense Department ordered
a pause on delivering some air defense missiles and munitions, citing
concerns of US stockpiles being depleted.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he spoke
with Trump on Thursday and has pushed allies within the alliance to
send weapons to Ukraine.
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