Trump says US must send more weapons to Ukraine, days after ordering pause in deliveries
WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump mentioned Monday the U S will have to send more weapons to Ukraine just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv The comments by Trump appeared to be an abrupt change in posture after the Pentagon communicated last week that it would hold back delivering to Ukraine chosen air defense missiles precision-guided artillery and other weapons because of what U S officers revealed were concerns that stockpiles have declined too much We have to Trump mentioned They have to be able to defend themselves They re getting hit very hard now We re going to send selected more weapons defensive weapons primarily The pause had come at a demanding moment for Ukraine which has faced increasing and more complex air barrages from Russia during the more than three-year-long war Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least civilians and injured more than others including seven children administrators disclosed Monday The US turnaround on weapons for Ukraine The move last week to abruptly pause shipments of Patriot missiles precision-guided GMLRS Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds and weaponry took Ukrainian administrators and other allies by surprise The Pentagon affirmed late Monday that at Trump s direction it would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops Still spokesman Sean Parnell added that its framework for Trump to evaluate military shipments worldwide continues as part of America First defense priorities Trump speaking at the start of a dinner he was hosting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday vented his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump has struggled to find a resolution to the war in Ukraine but maintains he s determined to fast conclude a conflict that he had promised as candidate to end of Day One of his second term He has threatened but held off on imposing new sanctions against Russia s oil industry to try to prod Putin into peace talks Sen Lindsey Graham R-S C revealed last week that Trump has given him the go-ahead to push forward with a bill he s co-sponsoring that calls in part for a tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil The move would have huge ramifications for China and India two economic behemoths that buy Russian oil I m not happy with President Putin at all Trump commented Monday Russia s delivery minister is discovered dead Separately Russia s journey minister was revealed dead in what agents explained was an apparent suicide news that broke hours after the Kremlin stated he had been dismissed by Putin The firing of Roman Starovoit followed a weekend of movement chaos airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of drone attacks from Ukraine Russian agents did not give a reason for his dismissal Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at airports in Moscow and St Petersburg but Russian commentators noted the air traffic disruptions have become customary amid frequent Ukrainian drone raids and were unlikely to have triggered his dismissal Starovoit served as Russia s journey minister since May Russian media have revealed that his dismissal could have been linked to an inquiry into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region where he served as governor before being appointed transportation minister The alleged embezzlement has been cited as one of the reasons for deficiencies in Russia s defensive lines that failed to stem a surprise Ukrainian incursion in the region launched in August Russia fired more than drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight officers disclosed Russia in recent days has intensified its airstrikes on civilian areas In the past week Russia launched chosen drones missiles and almost powerful glide bombs at Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Monday Russia s bigger army also is trying hard to break through at particular points along the roughly -kilometer miles front line where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched Ukraine calls for more military aid The strain of keeping Russia s invasion at bay the lack of progress in direct peace talks and last week s halt of specific promised U S weapons shipments have compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the U S and Europe White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt disclosed Monday that the pause in weapons to Ukraine came as part of a standard review of all weapons and all aid that the U S is providing all countries and all regions around the world Not just Ukraine Leavitt noted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the global review to ensure that everything that s going out the door aligns with America s interests Zelenskyy says Ukraine has signed deals with European allies and a leading U S defense company to step up drone production ensuring Kyiv receives hundreds of thousands more this year Air defense is the main thing for protecting life Zelenskyy wrote Monday on Telegram That includes emerging and manufacturing interceptor drones that can stop Russia s long-range Shahed drones he announced Extensive use of drones also has helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa another person was killed and were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv the capital during nighttime drone attacks Ukrainian officers explained Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region administrators noted Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops Also nine people were injured and seven killed in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine regional head Vadym Filashkin declared More Russian long-range drone strikes Monday targeted military mobilization centers for the third time in five days in an apparent attempt to disrupt recruitment Ukraine s Army Ground Forces command mentioned Regional bureaucrats in Kharkiv and southern Zaporizhzhia explained at least people were injured Meanwhile Russia s Defense Ministry announced Monday that its troops shot down Ukrainian drones in Russian regions overnight as well as over the Black Sea and the Crimean Peninsula which was illegally annexed by Russia in
