President Donald Trump and his chief diplomats said the U.S. is selling weapons to NATO allies in Europe so they can provide them to Ukraine as it strives to resist recent escalations in Russian drone and missile strikes.
“We are sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying 100% for these weapons,” Trump said in an interview with NBC late Thursday. “So what we have to do is that the weapons that are out are going to NATO, and then NATO will provide these weapons (to Ukraine) and NATO is paying for these weapons.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that some of the Fed’s weapons are being deployed with European NATO allies. He said the weapons could be transferred to Ukraine, where European countries buy alternatives from the United States.
“For example, things from Germany to Ukraine are much faster, and things from Germany to Ukraine are much faster,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ukraine is in great need of more American-made Patriot air defense systems to block Russian ballistic and cruise missiles. Trump’s Republican administration has sent a conflicting signal that it is willing to provide more important military aid to Ukraine in battle with the Russian invasion for more than three years.
After some weapons transports stopped, Trump said he would continue to send defensive weapons to Ukraine. U.S. officials said this week that rockets with 155mm ammunition and precision guides were on the way.
Ukraine is seeking more coveted Patriot air defense systems
Rubio said Germany, Spain and other European countries have Patriot missile systems, and some have issued orders.
The United States is encouraging its NATO allies to “provide the weapons, systems, defense systems that Ukraine seeks… because they put them in stocks and then we can reach financial agreements with them where they can buy alternatives,” Rubio said.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine has asked foreign countries to provide it with another 10 Patriot systems and missiles. He said Germany is ready to provide two systems, and Norway agrees to provide one.
Russia has recently tried to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defense by launching a major air attack. Earlier this week, Russia launched more than 700 attacks and bait drones on Ukraine, landing on the night barrage for the third time in two weeks.
Get national news
For news that affects Canada and around the world, please sign up for breaking news alerts that were sent directly to you at the time.
Meanwhile, Russia’s large army has worked hard to put pressure on parts of the 1,000-km (620-mile) front, with thousands of soldiers on both sides dead since the Kremlin ordered an invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.
The impact of the latest Russian attacks
Officials said in the latest attack, Russian drone barrage targeted Kharkif Center before dawn on Friday, injured nine people and damaged maternity hospitals in Ukraine’s second largest city.
Kharkif mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote in a telegram that the mother with a newborn was evacuated to another medical facility. He did not say someone was injured in the hospital.
In addition, drones attacked Odesa in the south during the day, injuring nine people.
“Ukraine is not silent,” Zelenskyy said after the Kharkiv bombing. The Ukrainian capital Kyiv has suffered repeated and exacerbated drone attacks in recent weeks, with many other parts of the country at night.
June caused the highest monthly casualties of civilians in the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured, the UN Human Rights Mission said Thursday. It said Russia launched drones and missiles in June 10 times that of the same month last year.
Other weapons Ukraine seeks
Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s Western partners to quickly promulgate their commitment to help at an international conference in Rome on Thursday.
He said Ukraine also needs more intercepting drones to shoot down Russian-made Shah drones, adding that Moscow plans to produce up to 1,000 drones a day.
Zelenskyy said Thursday that the talks with Trump were “very constructive”.
After repeated Russian drone and missile attacks in Kiev, authorities announced Friday that they will build a comprehensive drone interception system under a project called Clear Sky.
According to the head of the Kiev Military Administration, the project includes $6.2 million in interceptor drones, operator training and investments in new mobile response departments.
Zelenskyy called on foreign partners to help Ukraine accelerate the production of newly developed interceptor drones, which has proven to be successful for Shaheds.
“As a country, scientists and engineers have found a solution. That’s the key,” he said. “We need financing. Then, we’ll intercept.”
–Matthew Lee, an Associated Press diplomatic writer, contributed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
