WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump mentioned Monday the U.S. must ship extra weapons to Ukraine, simply days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
The feedback by Trump gave the impression to be an abrupt change in posture after the Pentagon announced last week that it will maintain again delivering to Ukraine some air protection missiles, precision-guided artillery and different weapons due to what U.S. officers mentioned had been concerns that stockpiles have declined an excessive amount of.
“We now have to,” Trump mentioned. ”They’ve to have the ability to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very laborious now. We’re going to ship some extra weapons — defensive weapons primarily.”
The pause had come at a difficult moment for Ukraine, which has confronted growing — and extra advanced — air barrages from Russia in the course of the greater than three-year-long warfare. Russian assaults on Ukraine killed at the least 11 civilians and injured greater than 80 others, together with seven youngsters, officers mentioned Monday.
The U.S. Turnaround On Weapons For Ukraine
The transfer final week to abruptly pause shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds and weaponry took Ukrainian officials and other allies by surprise.
The Pentagon affirmed late Monday that at Trump’s course, it will resume weapons shipments to Ukraine “to make sure the Ukrainians can defend themselves whereas we work to safe an enduring peace and make sure the killing stops.” Nonetheless, spokesman Sean Parnell added that its framework for Trump to judge navy shipments worldwide continues as a part of “America First” protection priorities.
Trump, talking at first of a dinner he was hosting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the White Home on Monday, vented his rising frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has struggled to discover a decision to the warfare in Ukraine however maintains he’s decided to rapidly conclude a battle that he had promised as candidate to finish of Day Certainly one of his second time period.
He has threatened, however held off on, imposing new sanctions in opposition to Russia’s oil business to attempt to prod Putin into peace talks.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., mentioned final week that Trump has given him the go-ahead to push ahead with a invoice he’s co-sponsoring that calls, partially, for a 500% tariff on items imported from international locations that proceed to purchase Russian oil. The transfer would have big ramifications for China and India, two financial behemoths that purchase Russian oil.
“I’m not proud of President Putin in any respect,” Trump mentioned Monday.
Russia’s Transport Minister Is Discovered Lifeless
Individually, Russia’s transport minister was found dead in what authorities mentioned was an obvious suicide — information that broke hours after the Kremlin introduced he had been dismissed by Putin.
The firing of Roman Starovoit adopted a weekend of journey chaos — airports grounded a whole bunch of flights because of the menace of drone assaults from Ukraine. Russian officers didn’t give a motive for his dismissal.
A whole lot of flights had been canceled or delayed at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg, however Russian commentators mentioned the air site visitors disruptions have turn out to be customary amid frequent Ukrainian drone raids and had been unlikely to have triggered his dismissal.
Starovoit, 53, served as Russia’s transport minister since Might 2024. Russian media have reported that his dismissal might have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allotted for constructing fortifications in the Kursk region, the place he served as governor earlier than being appointed transportation minister.
The alleged embezzlement has been cited as one of many causes for deficiencies in Russia’s defensive traces that did not stem a shock Ukrainian incursion within the area launched in August 2024.
Russia fired greater than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine in a single day, authorities mentioned.
Russia just lately has intensified its airstrikes on civilian areas. Previously week, Russia launched some 1,270 drones, 39 missiles and virtually 1,000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned Monday.
Russia’s larger military is also trying hard to break through at some factors alongside the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) entrance line, the place Ukrainian forces are severely stretched.
Ukraine Calls For Extra Navy Assist
The pressure of holding Russia’s invasion at bay, the dearth of progress in direct peace talks and final week’s halt of some promised U.S. weapons shipments have compelled Ukraine to hunt extra navy assist from the U.S. and Europe.
White Home spokesperson Karoline Leavitt mentioned Monday that the pause in weapons to Ukraine got here as a part of a “normal evaluation of all weapons and all assist” that the U.S. “is offering all international locations and all areas around the globe. Not simply Ukraine.”
Leavitt mentioned Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the worldwide evaluation to make sure that “all the things that’s going out the door aligns with America’s pursuits.”
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has signed offers with European allies and a number one U.S. protection firm to step up drone manufacturing, making certain Kyiv receives “a whole bunch of 1000’s” extra this 12 months.
“Air protection is the primary factor for shielding life,” Zelenskyy wrote Monday on Telegram.
That features creating and manufacturing interceptor drones that may cease Russia’s long-range Shahed drones, he mentioned.
In depth use of drones additionally has helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the entrance line.
One particular person was killed within the southern metropolis of Odesa, one other particular person was killed and 71 had been injured in northeastern Kharkiv, and falling drone particles precipitated injury in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, throughout nighttime drone assaults, Ukrainian authorities mentioned.
Russian short-range drones additionally killed two individuals and injured two others within the northern Sumy area, officers mentioned. Sumy is likely one of the locations the place Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops.
Additionally, 9 individuals had been injured and 7 killed within the Donetsk area of japanese Ukraine, regional head Vadym Filashkin mentioned.
Extra Russian long-range drone strikes Monday focused navy mobilization facilities for the third time in 5 days, in an obvious try and disrupt recruitment, Ukraine’s Military Floor Forces command mentioned.
Regional officers in Kharkiv and southern Zaporizhzhia mentioned at the least 17 individuals had been injured.
In the meantime, Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned Monday that its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian areas in a single day, in addition to over the Black Sea and the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
Related Press author Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.
Observe AP’s protection of the warfare in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
