**Trump Indicates Willingness to Supply Ukraine with Patriot Missiles**
US President Donald Trump has indicated that he is willing to consider supplying Ukraine with more Patriot air-defence missiles, a crucial tool in the country’s defense against Russian strikes. This announcement came after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday on the sidelines of a NATO summit in The Hague.
The meeting was described as “long and substantive” by Zelenskiy, who said it covered “all the truly important issues”. Both leaders expressed optimism that this meeting would be a positive step towards resolving the conflict, which is now in its fourth year. Trump even went so far as to say that the war is “more difficult than other wars”.
Trump’s willingness to supply Ukraine with more missiles marks a significant shift from his previous stance on military aid for the country. Under his predecessor, Joe Biden, the US had been providing weaponry to Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. However, Trump had shown no signs of resuming this policy until now.
**A Change in Tone**
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy has been hailed as a positive development by officials in Kyiv. Zelenskiy himself wrote on X that the two leaders discussed how to achieve a ceasefire and real peace, and spoke about protecting their people. This is a marked change from the tone of their previous meeting in February, which was seen as disastrous.
Trump’s comments also suggest that he may be open to providing more military aid to Ukraine, including potentially supplying the country with additional Patriot missiles. These are “very hard to get”, Trump said, but added that “we are going to see if we can make some of them available”.
**A Path Forward?**
While this development is a step in the right direction, it remains to be seen whether it will lead to concrete action. Zelenskiy’s emphasis on achieving a ceasefire and real peace suggests that both leaders are looking for a way out of the conflict.
Trump also spoke about speaking with Vladimir Putin again soon, saying that the Russian president “really has to end that war”. This is a clear message from Trump that he sees Russia as responsible for ending the conflict.
Ultimately, only time will tell whether this meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy will lead to meaningful change on the ground. However, one thing is certain: any willingness to supply Ukraine with more military aid is a welcome development in the country’s fight against Russian aggression.
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