WWW.FOXNEWS.COM
US will 'have to' send weapons to Ukraine, Trump says days after Pentagon pause
President Donald Trump on Monday said that his administration would be sending defensive weapons to Ukraine so the war-torn country could defend itself from Russias ongoing invasion, an apparent turnaround after the Pentagon said last week it was pausing such deliveries.His comments came as Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least 11 civilians and injured more than 80 others, including seven children, officials said Monday."We have to," Trump said when questioned at the start of a dinner he was hosting at the White House for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "They have to be able to defend themselves. Theyre getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons defensive weapons primarily."PENTAGON HALTS SOME WEAPONS SHIPMENTS TO UKRAINE OVER CONCERNS ABOUT US STOCKPILESRussia continues to advance and now currently controls just under a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, all of Luhansk, the lion's share of three other regions and slivers of three additional regions.Trump's repeated efforts to broker a ceasefire have not been successful, and the president continued to vent his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who continues to escalate military actions."I'm not happy with President Putin at all," Trump said.The Defense Department later said it wouldsendadditional defensiveweaponstoUkraineatTrump's direction, to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while efforts continue to secure a lasting peace."Our framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.Ukrainehas been asking Washington to sell itmorePatriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes.Last week the Pentagon frozesome shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missile interceptors and 155 mm artillery shells, at a pivotal moment in Kyivs war with Russia, Fox News confirmed. According toU.S. military officialstracking the shipments, the weapons were already staged in Poland before the order came down.TRUMP SHARES SYMPATHETIC EXCHANGE WITH UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST WHOSE HUSBAND IS FIGHTING IN WARIt came as Russia launched itslargest aerial attack of the war, nearly 500 drones and 60 missiles.In response to Trumps comments, the Kremlin said it would need time to clarify the specifics of U.S. weapons aid to Ukraine with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were many contradictory statements about U.S.weaponssupplies toUkraine, though it was clear that Europeanweaponsdeliveries were continuing."Obviously, supplies are continuing, that's clear. Obviously, the Europeans are actively involved in pumpingUkrainefull ofweapons," Peskov said, according to Reuters. "As for what kind of supplies and in what quantityUkrainecontinues to receive from the United States, it will still take time to clarify this definitively," he added.Peskov said that Moscow appreciatedTrump's efforts to initiate direct negotiations between Russia andUkraine, and that there was significant potential for restarting Russian-U.S. trade and economic relations.Separately, Russias transport ministerRoman Starovoit was found deadin what authorities said was an apparent suicide news that broke hours after the Kremlin announced he had been dismissed by Putin, per The Associated Press. Russian media have reported that his dismissal could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortificationsin the Kursk region, where he served as governor before being appointed transportation minister.The firing of Starovoit followed a weekend of travel chaos airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of drone attacks from Ukraine. Russian officials did not give a reason for his dismissal.Fox NewsJasmine BaehrandJennifer Griffinas well as The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
0 Comments 0 Shares 56 Views 0 Reviews
AtoZ Buzz! Take Control of the narrative https://atozbuzz.com