Russia vs Ukraine War: Trump to Send Powerful US Weapons Through NATO, “New Deal”
by Esther Odili, https://www.facebook.com/legitngnews · Legit.ng News · Join- President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States has struck a new deal with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- In an interview on Friday, Trump revealed that the US will send weapons to Ukraine through the NATO alliance
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed the development in a chat with reporters on Friday
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
United States President Donald Trump has said he will send weapons, including Patriot air defence systems, to Ukraine via the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
As reported by BBC, Trump revealed this on Friday, July 11, during an interview with the US TV channel CBS News.
"In a new deal, we are going to be sending Patriots to NATO and then NATO will distribute that," Trump said, adding that the alliance would pay for the systems.
After a phone-call with Russia's Vladimir Putin last week, Trump said he was "not happy" that progress had not been made towards ending the war, and he has since complained that Putin's "very nice" attitude turned out to be meaningless.
During his interview with NBC News, Trump said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday, but did not say what it would be about.
Trump's announcement came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of having a "positive dialogue" with Trump about ensuring that arms arrived on time.
He said he had asked for 10 Patriot systems after a surge in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in the past week.
Patriot batteries detect and intercept oncoming missiles and are regarded as one of the world's best air defence systems.
Speaking in Rome on Thursday, July 10, the Ukrainian leader said Germany was ready to pay for two of the Patriots and Norway for one, while other European partners were also prepared to help.
Marco Rubio confirms the move
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that he had urged countries, including Germany and Spain, to hand over some of their existing Patriot batteries, as they could reach Ukraine faster.
"We have continued to encourage our Nato allies to provide those weapons... since they have them in their stocks, then we can enter into financial agreements... where they can purchase the replacements," he said.
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As Trump mulls sanctions, Russia's military economy slows
Meanwhile, after three years of doom-defying growth, Russia's heavily militarised economy is slowing, facing a widening budget deficit and weak oil prices, all under the threat of more Western sanctions.
Huge spending on guns, tanks, drones, missiles and soldiers for the Ukraine campaign helped ensure Moscow bucked predictions of economic collapse after it launched its offensive in 2022.
"It is no longer possible to pull the economy along by the military-industrial complex alone," Natalia Zubarevich, an economist at Moscow State University, told AFP.