Washington, July 11 — US President Donald Trump has confirmed in a NBC News interview that NATO will fund the full cost of transport of Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
Trump added that this agreement was made at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands in June. He said, “We’re shipping weapons into NATO and NATO is paying 100% of the weapons. NATO will distribute the weapons to Ukraine.”
Earlier, the deployment of the key interceptor missiles had been suspended temporarily on July 2 by US Defense Department Under Secretary for Policy Elbridge Colby. Most of the State Department and White House members were surprised by the action. Trump later lifted the ban on Monday.
Trump further explained that he made this move because Ukraine needs enough weapons “to defend itself.” Trump made this claim while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
According to the Axios report, Russian President Vladimir Putin is avoiding peace talks, and that is infuriating Trump.
Meanwhile, the situation with the American weapons reserve is still cause for concern. Experts have warned that the US is exhausting its weapons much faster than the pace of their restocking. According to State Department data, between 2022 and March 2025, the US has delivered weapons with a total value of $66.9 billion to Ukraine. While Trump likes missile firing, he is hesitant regarding America’s direct participation in the war. Trump has informed his personal friends that “This is not my war,” sources informed Axios.
Russia has increased attacks against Ukraine over the past few days. There were huge drone and missile attacks on Kiev on Thursday night. While the war is continuing, the front-line situation is relatively stable.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that demilitarization of Ukraine would be required for the possible ceasefire.