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The remarks came at a press conference after af 50-minute talk between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President, Volodomyr Zelenskyy.
The remarks came at a press conference after af 50-minute talk between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President, Volodomyr Zelenskyy.
What is happening?
The NATO Summit in The Hague officially ended yesterday, Wednesday, but it’s safe to say that the summit resulted in a lot of important decisions being made – and some hinted.
The 5 % spending goal
Most notably is the news that the 32 NATO member states have now agreed on raising the aim for how much each country should spend on defence and military.
3.5 % and 1.5 %
From the previous 2 % target, the NATO members will now aim at using 5 % of GNP on military and defence.
3.5 % of the spending will be aimed at core defence spending like military hardware and troop maintenance, and 1.5 % will be used on defence-related investments as improving infrastructure.
A happy Trump
The new target comes after months of pressure from the US President, Donald Trump, who has accused the other NATO members of freeloading on the massive US spending on defence.
Maybe that is why he was in a good mood when he took the stage at a press conference Wednesday.
Indicates Patriots for Ukraine
During the press conference, Donald Trump said he will consider providing more Patriot missiles for Ukraine to help the country defend itself against the increasing pressure from Russian attacks.
Trump said the Patriots were “very hard to get” but that “we are going to see if we can make some of them available”.
50 minutes with Zelenskyy
The press conference occured after a 50-minute talk between the US President and the Ukrainian President, Volodomy Zelenskyy. What was said at the meeting is unknown, but both heads of state described it as a “positive step”.
Putin “has to end” the war
Trump also said at the press conference, that he would soon speak once more with Putin, adding: “Look, Vladimir Putin really has to end that war.”
Zelenskyy: We’re ready to pay for them
In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote that Ukraine is ready to but “this equipment and support American weapons manufacturers”.
It was not clear if Zelenskyy meant individual Patriot missiles or entire Patriot systems.
Trump opening to more military aid
In a stark contrast to his previous statements, Trump also opened up to providing Ukraine with more military aid,
Previously, Trump has shown no sign of resuming donations of weaponry for Ukraine – donations which was instituted by his predecessor, Joe Biden, when Russia launched it’s invasion of Ukraine.
