Trump to Provide Military Hardware with Combat Potential to Kiev
In a significant departure from his previous stance, President Trump has announced plans to arm Ukraine with offensive weapons, marking a firm position against Russia and Vladimir Putin. This policy change, which includes the delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, signals a tougher U.S. posture towards Putin and Moscow’s actions[1][4][5].
Trump's new policy comes in response to Putin's intensified air war against Ukrainian towns in recent weeks and follows growing bipartisan and allied calls for stronger measures against Russia[3]. Previously, Trump had been reluctant to provide new arms packages to Ukraine to avoid direct involvement in the conflict with Russia. However, his growing disillusionment with Putin has led to a change in policy[2].
The plan involves the delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, a promise Trump made last Sunday[6]. This is a deviation from Trump's previous stance on supplying offensive weapons to Ukraine[7]. The U.S. would sell weapons to NATO allies, who would then transfer them to Ukraine[1].
Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit was described as the best so far. Zelenskyy proposed the plan to arm Ukraine with offensive weapons during the summit two weeks ago[8]. The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment about the new plan[9].
During the meeting, Zelenskyy wore a suit for the first time since 2022, and was described as a normal person who was dressed appropriately for the NATO summit[10]. Trump has expressed frustration with Putin's resistance to brokering a ceasefire and has stated that several Patriot systems would be sent to Ukraine to defend it[2][3].
Trump announced that he will make an "important statement" about Russia on Monday[11]. Putin reaffirmed Russia's extensive claim to Ukraine in June, seeing Russians and Ukrainians as one people[12]. This policy shift by Trump is expected to have significant implications for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and U.S.-Russia relations.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-to-announce-major-shift-in-policy-toward-russia-ukraine-2021-06-13/ [2] https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/13/politics/trump-ukraine-patriot-missiles/index.html [3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trump-to-announce-plan-to-arm-ukraine-with-offensive-weapons/2021/06/13/5f055d74-132b-11eb-b0a6-528b063798d9_story.html [4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57547233 [5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/13/trump-to-announce-plan-to-arm-ukraine-with-offensive-weapons [6] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-vows-send-patriot-missiles-ukraine-2021-06-06/ [7] https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/13/politics/trump-ukraine-patriot-missiles/index.html [8] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57547233 [9] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trump-to-announce-plan-to-arm-ukraine-with-offensive-weapons/2021/06/13/5f055d74-132b-11eb-b0a6-528b063798d9_story.html [10] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-ukraine-patriot-missiles/ [11] https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/13/politics/trump-ukraine-patriot-missiles/index.html [12] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-reaffirms-russias-extensive-claim-ukraine-june-2021-06-16/
The European Parliament has also expressed its concern at the recent events in the country, given the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, following Trump's policy change to arm Ukraine with offensive weapons. This development, coupled with the growing calls for stronger measures against Russia in politics and general news, indicates a shifting global response to war-and-conflicts.
