The first American Patriot air defense systems to be delivered to Ukraine are already being shipped.
This was reported by the US President Donald Trump.
The politician spoke with reporters at Andrews Air Force Base and answered their questions about supplying weapons to allies.
"They [the Patriot systems] come from Germany, and then Germany replenishes them. And in all cases, the United States gets a full refund. In some cases, we will get compensation directly from the EU countries. We always get our money back in full," Trump explained.
Trump added that he had not spoken to Russian leader Putin since threatening Moscow with "tough tariffs" on July 14 if it did not reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.
What is known about weapons for Ukraine?
The US President Donald Trump, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, announced that he had concluded an agreement to supply weapons to Ukraine. They did not specify what weapons and how much they were talking about. However, Trump spoke of “state-of-the-art weapons worth billions of dollars”, while Rutte emphasized that the agreement included both ammunition and missiles.
Trump says that at NATOʼs suggestion, the US will approach Germany and send "early deliveries of missiles". The US president also said that some Patriot systems will be in Ukraine "very soon — in a matter of days, in fact". According to Trump, the costs will be covered by NATO members, not the US.
After Trump reported the deal, Axios, citing sources, reported that the United States would sell nearly $10 billion worth of weapons to NATO allies for further deliveries to Ukraine. And thatʼs just the first phase.
Trump also threatened Russia with “tough tariffs” on July 14 if it did not reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days. The US president has previously threatened Russia with sanctions, but has never imposed them.
A few days ago, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the country would not be able to provide Ukraine with more American Patriot air defense systems. Germany has 6 of them. At the same time, Berlin said it was ready to buy two Patriot systems from the United States for Ukraine — this option was discussed with the American side.
The Washington Post, citing a senior White House official, wrote that Germany will send Patriot air defense batteries to Ukraine and in return will buy the same ones from the United States.
Subsequently, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that Berlin and Washington would make a decision on the transfer of two American Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv "within a few days or weeks".
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