(Joint base Andrews) Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States would send to Ukraine anti-aircraft defense systems Patriot, essential to Kyiv to defend himself in the face of Russian strikes, when the relations of the American president with his Russian counterpart show a degradation.
“We will send them patriots, which they desperately need,” he said, adding: “I have not yet decided on the number, but they will have it because they need protection”.
Donald Trump had previously told journalists to have “an important declaration to make on Russia” on Monday, leaving the door open to strengthening sanctions.
The diplomatic activity was to accelerate on Monday with a meeting announced by the American president with the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte. American emissary Keith Kellogg is also due to start a new visit to Ukraine on Monday.
The delivery of weapons by Washington will be part of an agreement involving NATO which will pay the United States for weapons it will send to Ukraine, according to Trump.
“We are actually sending them various very sophisticated military equipment and they will pay them 100 %,” Donald Trump told journalists.
Photo Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press
Donald Trump
This announcement appears to be a flip-flop, two weeks after Washington had announced the suspension of certain arms deliveries in Kyiv.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday had a telephone conversation with his American counterpart, during which they agreed to “strengthen the protection” of the Ukrainian sky after a new massive attack of Russian drones and missiles on Ukraine.
The American president said he again “disappointed” by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday.
Since the start of his mandate, Donald Trump has tried to convince Vladimir Putin to negotiate in order to end the conflict in Ukraine.
But the Russian strikes falling on Ukraine have intensified and negotiations for a diplomatic outcome to the conflict are in the dead end.
“Putin really surprised a lot of people. He speaks gently and then he bombes everyone in the evening, “said Trump, visibly dissatisfied.
“Turning” on sanctions
At the same time, the influential American senator Lindsey Graham defended his proposal for drastic sanctions on Moscow on Sunday, a project seeming to progress as Donald Trump’s frustration increases with the Kremlin.
“A turning point” in the war in Ukraine, said the Republican senator on CBS.
His proposal “would give President Trump the ability to impose customs duties of 500 % on any country that helps Russia and supports Putin’s war machine,” he said.
Donald Trump said Tuesday “studying this proposal very closely”.
“It is a blow that President Trump will have at his disposal to end the war,” insisted Lindsey Graham, who went to Europe this week to defend his measures alongside his Democratic partner Richard Blumenthal.
The two senators must also meet on Monday with the secretary general of NATO.
Lindsey Graham also mentioned possible measures on Sunday targeting frozen Russian assets or the sales to the European allies of “huge amounts of weapons that can benefit from Ukraine. »»
The measures proposed by the two American senators are part of the means which “can bring us closer to peace,” wrote Thursday on X Volodymyr Zelensky, which continues to demand a strengthening of American sanctions against Russia.
On the ground, the Russian air strikes against Ukraine have intensified in recent weeks, and Moscow beats records in number of vehicles fired every week, provided by a defense industry that runs at full speed.
