US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) said that the United States will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. He also suggested possible new sanctions on Russia and expressed his displeasure with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump said, without specifying the number of systems to be delivered.Trump’s announcement about sending the weapons followed his earlier promise to make a “major statement on Russia” on Monday. That statement is expected as the US special envoy begins a new trip to Ukraine and Trump meets with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington.Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine has continued for over three years. Negotiations led by the United States have so far failed to end the conflict.“I haven’t agreed on the number yet, but they’re going to get some because they need protection,” he told reporters after returning from the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey.The White House recently reversed an earlier decision to pause weapons shipments to Kyiv. Instead, it announced a new deal under which Nato will pay the United States for sending some of its weapons to Ukraine.“We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they’re going to pay us 100 percent for them,” Trump said. “It’ll be business for us.”Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was close to reaching a multi-level agreement to obtain new Patriot systems and missiles.Trump also expressed his disappointment with President Putin. “Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” Trump said.After assuming presidency in January, Trump said he believed he could work with Putin to end the war, and initially resisted imposing harsher sanctions, unlike European allies. But Russia has refused a ceasefire proposed by the United States and Ukraine for several months.
