Donald Trump says US does not supply Ukraine, NATO pays for weapons
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
The US itself does not send any weapons to Ukraine. They send them to NATO, and NATO pays for them, states US President Donald Trump.
He noted that this delivery scheme represents a big difference between Biden and Trump, since Biden provided Ukraine with $350 million worth of weapons, while they did not.
"We gave them nothing, but we gave them respect, and some other things, frankly. So, we talked about weapons, and the weapons are sent to NATO, and NATO then sends us a check. They pay us for the info, and they will need more weapons, and we are looking to do that," Trump said.
The President stated that the US also needs weapons, and therefore, they cannot give away so many weapons that they won’t have any themselves, since you never know what might happen.
Trump noted that he had a very good conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, October 11, and on Sunday morning, October 12.
In the context of the talks, the White House leader said that the Ukrainians are in great need of Patriot systems and would like to have Tomahawk missiles, but transferring such missiles would lead to a new stage of escalation.
US military aid for Ukraine
On Friday, October 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes the US will deliver the 10 Patriot systems promised by President Trump on time. These systems are capable of intercepting the Iskander-M and Kinzhal ballistic missiles that Russia is using to strike Ukraine.
In addition, Ukraine is negotiating with the US over the transfer of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can effectively strike targets deep inside Russia.
According to Zelenskyy, targets for strikes with these missiles on Russian territory have already been identified.
Trump stated that he is ready to provide Ukraine with Tomahawks, but he will first discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
