WASHINGTON, July 14, 2025 — The former President Donald Trump will release a new plan for equipping Ukraine on Monday that will contain so-called offensive weapons. Two people briefed on the plan said so.
Change in policy
This will be a stark policy change for Trump so far. He had earlier only issued a statement about sending “defensive weapons” so as not to escalate the war. But now, sources indicate, weapons produced by the US will be bought by European countries and transported to Ukraine.
Potential long-range missiles
Sources suggest that this plan also includes long-range missiles that can target the very center of Russia – even the capital city Moscow. There has been no word on this, though.
“Trump is furious at Putin. The press conference tomorrow will be rough,” Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina) said in an interview to Axios.
Coordination with NATO
The plan will be laid out before NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a meeting. The plan would have European nations pay for cutting-edge US-produced weapons — such as the Patriot missile defense system — and send it to Ukraine.
The White House has not made any announcement.
Zelensky’s initiative
The initiative had been proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a two-week-old NATO summit. The Trump-Zelensky meeting was “the best conversation we’ve ever had,” officials stated. One US official described Zelensky this time as “a normal leader,” not a crisis region leader. This time Zelensky attended the conference in a suit for the first time since 2022, and as far as presentation and appearance were concerned, things were different.
Trump unhappy with Putin
Trump has increasingly grown frustrated by Russia’s stepped-up attacks of recent weeks, and also by President Putin’s refusal to sign a ceasefire, sources indicate. A July 3 telephone call with Putin also shaped his thinking.
Putin signaled on the phone call that he plans to seize more land in Ukraine. Trump already told French President Emmanuel Macron, “He wants to take everything.”
What will I include?
Addressing reporters on Sunday night, Trump explained that the arms bought by Europe would feature really sophisticated military equipment, namely Patriot defense batteries.
He stated, “European nations will fund these 100%. It will be a trade for America.”
Finally, Trump stated that he was “deeply disappointed” in Putin’s behavior as he stepped up attacks against Ukraine even while there were peace talks negotiations.