Exclusive | White House Weighs Giving Ukraine Another Patriot Air-Defense System – WSJ

WASHINGTON President Trump is considering sending an additional Patriot air-defense system to Ukraine after vowing in recent days to strengthen Kyiv against Russian attacks, according to two officials.

Trump lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, saying we get a lot of bulls t thrown at us by Putin. But the administration hasn t disclosed what additional weapons it is planning to provide Ukraine in response to Putin s rebuff of Trump s calls to halt the three-year-old conflict.

Sending another Patriot would be a significant step for the White House, marking the first time Trump has approved providing a major weapons system to Kyiv beyond the number authorized by the Biden White House.

The White House has asked the Pentagon for options for sending Ukraine additional weapons, including a Patriot system, one of the officials said. Officials are also exploring if other countries can provide more Patriots to Kyiv, the official said.

The deliberations about providing additional defensive weapons are another twist in a back-and-forth series of moves by the administration over military aid to Kyiv in recent weeks. Trump came into office skeptical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and had a fiery Oval Office meeting with him in February, while saying he believed Putin would keep his word on negotiations to end the war. 

via www.wsj.com