"We're sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100 percent," he said in a phone interview with NBC News. "So, what we're doing is, the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine], and NATO is paying for those weapons."
The president added that the deal was struck in June at the NATO summit in The Hague.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is talking to multiple countries in Europe, including Spain and Germany, that have Patriot batteries — a key element in the defense system used to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles — about sending them over to Kyiv.
"Well, the Spaniards have them. They're really far from Ukraine and they have one. The Germans have, others have them — I'm not singling them out, but I'm just telling you those are two that I know," Rubio told reporters while in Malaysia after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "There are other Patriot batteries, and there are other opportunities."
The conversation comes as the president intensified his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying the two leaders have made "no progress" on brokering a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also said he does not think Putin is looking to halt the war in Eastern Europe, which has been ongoing since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Trump administration restarted sending some defense weapons to Ukraine on Monday, days after the Defense Department ordered a pause on delivering some air defense missiles and munitions, citing concerns of U.S. stockpiles being depleted.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he spoke with Trump on Thursday and has pushed allies within the alliance to send weapons to Ukraine.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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