Donald Trump sometimes suggests his previous statements should not be taken literally. He previously called his promise to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine war an “exaggeration” and a “jest,” stating that he “said that figuratively.”
However, there are instances where Trump’s words appear deliberate. Despite giving vague answers regarding the continuation of U.S. military aid to Ukraine, he emphasized that ” (According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Europe has provided more total aid to Ukraine than the U.S. since the Russian invasion in 2022, and has surpassed the U.S. in military aid earlier this year.)
On Thursday, Trump claimed to have “just made a deal” to implement this, telling that the U.S. will “send weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons 100%… then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine].”
This arrangement was reportedly initially discussed during the , where mentioned and NATO member states .
Regarding the strategy of using NATO as an intermediary for U.S. weapon deliveries to Ukraine, a Trump Administration official stated that the U.S. is “not sending weapons to Ukraine” but instead “sending defensive weapons to NATO,” leaving “NATO can decide what to do with it.” Another source informed Axios that the weapons sold to NATO could include both offensive and defensive weaponry.
Hours before the publication of Trump’s NBC News interview, Rutte stated: “Russia’s continued massive attacks against Ukrainian civilians are deplorable. Earlier today I urged leaders to go further so Ukraine has more ammunition & air defenses. I’ve just spoken with President Trump & am now working closely with Allies to get Ukraine the help they need.”
The agreement to allow European allies to serve as intermediaries for U.S. weapons seems to have originated from a suggestion by Ukraine, which earlier in the month had inquired with the Trump Administration about this potential arrangement, despite standard restrictions on reselling U.S. weaponry.
Ukraine’s request happened amid a by the Pentagon of direct military support to Ukraine, which apparently even . The Trump Administration has since resumed , as Trump has increasingly with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war’s continuation.
“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” Trump told NBC News, adding: “I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, : “We need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can conclude.”
“`