
Trump and Putin in Helsinki in 2018. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty
President Trump will announce a new plan to arm Ukraine on Monday that is expected to include offensive weapons, two sources with knowledge of the plans tell Axios. Why it matters: Sending offensive weapons would be a major shift for Trump, who had until recently been at pains to say he would provide only defensive weapons to avoid escalating the conflict.
Driving the news: The new initiative, which will be rolled out in a meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, will involve European countries paying for U.S.-made weapons that will be sent to Ukraine. Behind the scenes: The scheme was proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the NATO summit two weeks ago. The other side: Trump has grown increasingly frustrated over the last two weeks over Putin's unwillingness to move towards a ceasefire and Russia's escalating attacks on Kyiv and other cities. What he's saying: Trump told reporters Sunday evening that the weapons he would send Ukraine through European countries would include "various pieces of very sophisticated military (equipment)," including Patriot air defense batteries.
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Trump plans to send Ukraine weapons via NATO allies
President Trump at the Vatican with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Getty Images.
President Trump is planning to sell weapons to NATO allies with the understanding that they will then provide them to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.
- Trump seemed to confirm those plans in an interview with NBC News on Thursday.
Why it matters: This is a major policy shift from Trump as he grows increasingly disillusioned with Russia's Vladimir Putin. He had long rejected the idea of new arms packages for Ukraine in part to avoid becoming personally embroiled in the conflict.