President Trump Says Patriot Missiles Will Arrive In Ukraine, Who Provides?

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump said the Patriot missile defense system would arrive in Ukraine in a few days, at a time when there was no clarity on the details among European allies.

President Donald Trump has finally found a way to arm Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell their successors from America.

Several Patriot missile defense systems will arrive in Ukraine "in a few days," Trump said in the Oval Room on Monday.

"We will make the best weapons, and will be sent to NATO," he said.

The Patriot system, which is in great demand by US allies, has proven to be effective in destroying Russia's ballistic missiles aimed at Ukrainian cities.

But since the announcement, it is clear that President Trump presents a framework, not a mature plan. How much support is provided to Ukraine will depend on future negotiations on who provides what equipment, according to 10 officials in the US and Europe.

The main question is who will donate Patriot batteries, and when.

"As usual in this regard, the problem lies in the details," said a European ambassador in Washington.

Plans initiated by Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in recent days, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, have been positively accepted by Ukraine and its allies.

Leaders in Kyiv and elsewhere celebrate a significant change in tone from Trump, who has for the past few weeks praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, some parties in Europe voiced frustration because they actually bear the costs of Trump's announcement.

In his meeting in the Oval Room with Trump on Monday, Rutte mentioned six NATO countries - Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Canada - who are willing to participate in the arms purchase scheme.

High-level sources at the two embassies of the countries in the US told Reuters they were personally aware of the plan when it was announced. Even US close allies also seem to know the proposal when it was announced.

"I feel clear that no one has been briefed on the exact details before," said another European ambassador.

"I also suspect internally in the government, they are just starting to sort out what this means in practice," he said.

Responding to a request for comment, the Pentagon referred Reuters to a statement by President Trump on Monday announcing its agreement with Secretary General Rutte. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Ukrainian embassies or Russia in Washington.

Meanwhile, a NATO official said the defense alliance would coordinate arms shipments through a mechanism known as NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, a NATO mission located in Germany and responsible for coordinating Western military aid for Kyiv.

"Several European countries have committed to supporting this initiative, including Germany, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Canada and Finland," the official said.

"The details are still under discussion," he added.

A meeting between Patriot-owning countries and Ukrainian donors, aimed at finding additional Patriot air defense batteries for Kyiv and chaired by NATO's top military commander, could take place next Wednesday, sources close to the negotiations told Reuters.

A source familiar with the matter said the US had signaled a willingness based on proposed arrangements with European allies to send additional offensive weapons, although President Trump had said Ukraine should refrain from attacking Moscow.

Now, three US officials involved in the weapons issue say work is actually starting.

US officials are now negotiating with NATO allies and assessing who is willing to send what to Ukraine. European officials are generally open.

"We are ready to participate," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of EU ministers.

An official called Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain good candidates to send Patriot batteries to Kyiv, either because they have multiple batteries or because the threats they face are relatively small.

Several countries, including Greece and Spain, have previously rejected requests from allies to provide some of their Patriot systems to Ukraine, arguing the system is important to defend their own country and NATO as a whole.

Another official said the Trump Administration had checked NATO inventory to see what was available. Their next attempt was to persuade allies to award the equipment to Ukraine in exchange for "trade", the official said.

The trade could be in the form of various things, the official said, including canceling acceptance of upcoming military equipment through the Foreign Military Sales program, or sending ammunition to Ukraine in exchange for an earlier charging date.

President Trump's move to take advantage of additional weapons sent to Ukraine has created a bit of tension in Europe.

"If we pay for these weapons, it is our help," said Head of European Union Foreign Policy Office Kaja Kallas, speaking after a meeting in Brussels, adding he welcomed President Trump's decision.

"So this is European support, and we are doing our best to help Ukraine. If you promise to give a weapon, but say that someone else will pay for it, it's not really what you gave it, is it?" he said.

President Trump told reporters there was one country with 17 Patriots, some of whom would be sent directly to Ukraine.

This figure has led to widespread confusion among European allies and on Capitol Hill - many of whom have not been briefed - according to US and European officials.

No NATO member but the US has that much Patriot system, two sources familiar with the matter said, sparking speculation that President Trump may refer to certain Patriot components, such as launchers or missiles.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who visited the Pentagon on Monday, said Germany would discuss shipping Patriot batteries to Ukraine with the US in the coming days or weeks.

However, no Patriot system will arrive in Kyiv for months, he said, likely delaying admissions until after tactically crucial summer months.

Other officials said President Trump was directly involved in negotiations, although talks so far are "not clear."

"So far people have said, 'We can help,'" the official said.

"Now, what does that mean, we don't know," he said.