United States President Donald Trump has announced that his administration will send more weapons to Ukraine, primarily defensive ones, to help the war-torn country defend itself against intensifying Russian advances. Trump’s pledge came after Russia announced it had captured the Ukrainian village of Dachne, in Dnipropetrovsk, following a months-long push to seize territory in the central region.
“We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said. “They are getting hit very hard now.” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed Trump’s comments later, saying that Washington would provide “additional defensive weapons” to “ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops”.
Parnell added that Trump would continue to evaluate military shipments overseas in accordance with “our America First defence priorities”. The decision to send more weapons comes after the Pentagon’s announcement last week that it would halt deliveries of some weapons, including air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, out of concern that stockpiles were running too low.
After a phone call with Trump on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had agreed with his US counterpart to work to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences. “We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. Trump described the call as “very good” and said his administration was “looking at” selling more Patriot missiles to Kyiv. “They need them for defence. I don’t want to see people killed,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
The strain of keeping Russia’s invasion at bay has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the US and Europe. Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed at least 11 civilians and injured more than 80 others, including seven children, officials said. Russia’s bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched.
Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine to bridge the gap. Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of air defense, saying, “Air defense is the main thing for protecting life”. This includes developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that can stop Russia’s long-range Shahed drones.