US President Donald Trump said Ukraine has "to be able to defend" itself, as his comments contradict a last week’s decision to pause key weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
President Donald Trump said that the United States will have to send more weapons to Ukraine. The decision comes just days after pausing key arms deliveries to Kyiv.
His comments marked a sudden change of course. Last week, the Pentagon announced it would delay shipments of air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons, citing concerns about falling stockpiles.
However, on Monday, Trump said, “We have to,” adding, “They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. We’re going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.”
The pause came at a difficult time for Ukraine. Russian forces have been stepping up air strikes, launching more frequent and complex attacks. On Monday, officials said Russian strikes had killed at least 11 civilians and injured more than 80 others, including seven children.