President Trump Says US Will Send Patriot Missiles To Ukraine

JAKARTA - The United States will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, President Donald Trump said Sunday, adding the missile was needed to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin "talked sweetly but then he bombed everyone at night."

"We will send the Patriots to them, which they really need, because (President) Putin really surprised a lot of people. He spoke sweetly and then bombed everyone at night. But there was a bit of trouble there. I don't like it," President Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. , reported Reuters July 14.

"Basically we will send them a variety of very sophisticated military equipment. They will pay us 100 percent for it, and that's what we want," said President Trump.

President Trump did not provide the Patriot missile amount planned to be delivered to Ukraine, but he said the United States would receive reimbursement from the European Union.

President Trump is increasingly disappointed with President Putin because the Russian leader has rejected his efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

He is expected to announce a new plan to arm Ukraine with offensive weapons, a sharp change from his previous stance, Axios reported on Sunday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters that could not immediately verify the report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for more defense capabilities to fend off a series of daily missile and drone attacks from Russia.

President Trump plans to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to discuss Ukraine and other issues this week.