The administration of Donald Trump currently does not want to openly deliver Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, because it believes that this would fail the negotiation process with Russia, writes The Washington Post.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to NATO headquarters in early June, where the issue of air defense systems will be discussed, among other things. At the same time, an announcement may be made about the transfer of Patriots to Ukraine, but not from the United States.
The administration of US President Trump is avoiding loud announcements about weapons supplies to Kiev, fearing that it will fail possible negotiations. Washington apparently still believes that peace can be achieved in Ukraine through negotiations with Putin, who has repeatedly lied to both Kiev and Washington.
„At the moment they think that a big announcement about providing Patriot missiles to Ukraine is not something they want because it would anger Putin. They are very concerned that it could jeopardize any potential peace talks,“ said a European official familiar with the matter.
Ukraine is concerned about the issue of the US Patriot air defense systems, as the stockpile provided during the administration of former US President Joe Biden is running low and the new administration has shown reluctance to send more.
The systems The Patriots are the ones that can counter Russian ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles are one of the most effective weapons in the Russian arsenal, especially against infrastructure.
Given the speed and size of ballistic missile warheads, having enough Patriots is a matter of "human lives." Some officials in the US administration understand this, but others do not. For other countries, transferring Patriots to Ukraine is a difficult step because it is an expensive and important part of their national security.