US President Donald Trump said that the first deliveries of Patriot anti-missile systems under the NATO arms deal for Ukraine have already begun.
“They are already being delivered. They are being delivered from Germany and then they are being replaced. And in all cases, the United States is being paid in full“, he told reporters at the “Andrews“ Air Force Base near Washington.
It was previously reported that NATO countries will supply Ukraine with weapons from their own arsenals and will conclude contracts with the United States for new supplies to replenish their stocks.
Trump believes that Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants to achieve peace in Ukraine.
„He has often said that he wants peace. And I think that is so. I hope that is so. We'll find out soon, and it could happen in less than 50 days," Trump said.
On July 14, the US leader said that Washington would impose import tariffs of approximately 100% on Russia and its trading partners if Moscow and Washington do not reach an agreement to resolve the conflict in Ukraine within 50 days.
The US president said that he had not spoken to Putin since his statement on Ukraine on July 14, and that he would not send US troops to Ukraine.
“We will not have soldiers in the combat zone in Ukraine“, he said.
Trump hopes that the conflict in Ukraine can be resolved sooner than 50 days and that Washington will not have to impose new restrictions on Russia and countries that trade with it.
“The sanctions will be quite significant, they will do a lot of damage to "The countries involved. I hope we don't have to pull that string," he said.
The American leader also expressed hope that the Russian leadership's position on the conflict in Ukraine will change "much sooner than 50 days."