Trump Ready to Restart Weapons Shipments to Kyiv via NATO

Donald Trump yesterday appeared poised to deliver weapons to Ukraine by first selling them to NATO allies in a major policy shift amid growing frustration with Vladimir Putin over his stalling negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

- Andrew Roth

During an interview with NBC News, Trump said he would probably have a "major announcement" on Russia on Monday and confirmed he had struck a deal with NATO leaders to supply weapons to Ukraine.

Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, is scheduled to arrive in Kyiv on the same day for a weeklong trip that comes after the US temporarily halted weapons shipments to Ukraine as part of a Pentagon review of dwindling stockpiles of crucial munitions including Patriot air defense missiles.

The White House has now sought to distance itself from the decision, and Trump has suggested he is ready to approve a major military aid package for Ukraine via NATO, reversing a previous policy of reducing support to the Ukrainian government to force Kyiv to sue for peace.

"I think I'll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," Trump said during the interview that aired on Thursday. "I'm disappointed in Russia, but we'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks."

During the interview, Trump laid out a plan by which the US could sell weapons to NATO and then they could be sent on to Ukraine. Trump has not previously approved packages of military aid to Ukraine.