NATO allies will now fund Ukraine's purchase of air defense systems and other weapons, President Donald Trump announced on Monday, according to an article in Politico.
“The weapons, worth billions of dollars, will be manufactured by the American defense industry and financed by European countries,” said Trump, who met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday. NATO is expected to coordinate how much of each weapon is needed.
The US president spoke about the Patriot air defense systems and the missiles they carry at a press conference in the Oval Office. Ukraine's stockpile has been depleted by a series of Russian attacks, and Trump said that new deliveries have begun and could arrive as soon as today.
He also spoke about Russia and Vladimir Putin's unwillingness to move towards peace. The US president said,"We are very, very unhappy with them and we will impose heavy tariffs if we don't reach an agreement within 50 days." According to the BBC, these could be 100 percent secondary tariffs if a ceasefire agreement is not reached.