President Trump mentioned Monday his administration will ship extra defensive weapons to Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia, days after pausing some weapons shipments.
“We’ll ship some extra weapons. Now we have to. They’ve to have the ability to defend themselves,” Mr. Trump instructed reporters throughout a White Home occasion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening.
The president mentioned the shipments will encompass “defensive weapons, primarily,” saying Ukraine is “getting hit very exhausting” and “so many individuals are dying in that mess.”
“At President Trump’s course, the Division of Protection is sending further defensive weapons to Ukraine to make sure the Ukrainians can defend themselves whereas we work to safe a long-lasting peace and make sure the killing stops,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell mentioned in a press release later Monday evening. “Our framework for POTUS to guage army shipments throughout the globe stays in impact and is integral to our America First protection priorities.”
Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, mentioned the president has taken problem with Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian cities.
“It’s one factor to assault militaries — and we now have hundreds of individuals each week dying on the battlefield — however Vladimir Putin is attacking main cities like Odessa and Kyiv, and I feel that’s crossing the road,” he instructed Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “And I feel President Trump has instructed Vladimir Putin that, , attacking residents is simply not one thing that you are able to do legitimately.”
Requested Tuesday about Mr. Trump’s announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instructed reporters in Moscow that “these actions in all probability don’t align with makes an attempt to advertise a peaceable decision” to the conflict in Ukraine, based on Russia’s state-run information businesses.
The US has supplied Ukraine with tens of billions of {dollars} in weapons and different help since February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the nation, based on the Council on International Relations suppose tank.
Final week, the White Home confirmed it had determined to halt some shipments to Ukraine. A White Home official mentioned the pause was a part of a broader evaluate of weapons transfers to different international locations. A U.S. official instructed CBS Information the administration was involved about army stockpiles falling too low.
However throughout a Cupboard assembly Tuesday, Mr. Trump mentioned he would not know who ordered the pause in weapons shipments to Ukraine.
“Putin is just not treating human beings proper. He is killing too many individuals,” the president instructed reporters through the assembly. “So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve authorised that.”
A number of sources with data confirmed to CBS Information that the State Division was lower out of the choice to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine. Sources mentioned the freeze was largely introduced to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a evaluate of weapons shipments and never particularly described as a halt of arms to Ukraine. The White Home was additionally instructed of the broader evaluate for all weapons, which has been publicly mentioned by the White Home, Pentagon and State Division. One U.S. official instructed CBS Information the Protection Division didn’t inform the White Home of the pause.
In feedback to reporters final week, Mr. Trump mentioned his administration was nonetheless sending weapons to Ukraine, however former President Joe Biden “emptied out our complete nation giving them weapons, and we now have to make it possible for we now have sufficient for ourselves.”
Mr. Trump spoke with each Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy final week. Mr. Trump instructed reporters he was “very disenchanted” with the Putin name, saying he “did not make any progress” with the Russian chief.
Mr. Trump additionally mentioned Monday he is “not proud of President Putin in any respect.”
In the meantime, Zelenskyy mentioned his name with Mr. Trump was “crucial and fruitful,” including the 2 leaders “agreed that we are going to work collectively to strengthen safety of our skies.”
Mr. Trump has pressed Russia and Ukraine to strike a deal to finish their three-year conflict.
However his relationship with each leaders has been rocky at instances. Mr. Trump — who has expressed skepticism about Ukraine assist — accused Zelenskyy in April of prolonging the battle, and the administration briefly paused army assist to Ukraine in March, after a televised Oval Workplace meeting-turned-argument between the American and Ukrainian leaders. Mr. Trump has additionally lashed out at Putin over Russian strikes on Ukraine.
Eleanor Watson and
contributed to this report.
