Ukraine celebrates weapons bounty from US, but 'devil's in the details'

US President Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements.

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Now comes the hard part — agreeing on who will actually give up their prized systems, including the Patriot missile batteries that Kyiv has been desperately seeking.

"We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they’ll be sent to Nato," Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday.

Some Patriot missile defense systems should arrive in Ukraine "Within days," added Trump, who faces resistance from some high-profile figures in the MAGA movement who oppose US support for Ukraine.

The costly Patriot systems - in high demand among US allies - have proven effective at destroying Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Ukraine’s cities.

The US has also signalled willingness under the proposed arrangement with European allies to send additional offensive weapons, said one source familiar with the matter, though Trump has said that Ukraine should refrain from attacking Moscow.

The plan, which Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte hatched in recent days, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, has been received positively by Ukraine and its allies.

Leaders in Kyiv and elsewhere have celebrated a major tonal shift from Trump, who had until recent weeks spoken glowingly of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But since the announcement, it has become clear Trump presented a framework - not a fleshed-out plan. How material any support ends up being for Ukraine will depend on coming negotiations about who provides which equipment, according to 10 officials in the US and Europe.

"As always with these things, the devil is in the details," said one northern European ambassador in Washington. The central question is who would donate the Patriot batteries, and when.

Spare a Patriot?