Some of the arms could later be handed over to Ukraine, the US president has indicated
America’s NATO partners will pay full price for US-made arms, US President Donald Trump has said, signaling that some of the weapons could go to Ukraine.
The US president has been pressuring Europe’s NATO members to take responsibility for their own defense since his first term in office, including by raising related spending.
In an interview with NBC released on Friday, the US president outlined his approach to sending arms to the military bloc in the future. “We send weapons to NATO, and NATO is going to reimburse the full cost of those weapons,” he said. “NATO is paying for those weapons, 100%.”
He added that after Washington’s NATO allies acquire the weapons, “then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine].”
According to NBC, it was not immediately clear if Trump was referring to reports of European NATO countries discussing a scheme for buying weapons on behalf of Kiev. A Politico source said last week that while the proposal is now under review, any arms transfers would still require US approval, meaning that indirect deliveries could become mired in additional negotiations.
Trump has repeatedly argued that Washington’s NATO partners depend too heavily on the US, pointing to what he has called chronic underfunding. In February, he went so far as to suggest that America would not protect member states which had not met their financial obligations from a potential Russian attack.
At the NATO summit in the Netherlands last month, alliance members endorsed a new goal to spend at least 5% of GDP on defense procurement and military aid, up from the longstanding 2% target, which many members had failed to achieve for many years.
The reported discussion about the procurement scheme came after the US temporarily halted shipments of weapons to Ukraine, arguing that Washington must maintain its weapons stockpiles to ensure “our own success on the battlefield.”
The pause, which was reportedly ordered by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth without the approval of the White House, has since been lifted, with Trump confirming that “some defensive weapons” are now flowing to Kiev.
Moscow has consistently condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, saying they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome. Russia has also rejected media speculation that it harbors plans to attack NATO countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week accused Western leaders of trying to distract their citizens from domestic economic and social problems by “demonizing” Russia and painting it as a threat.
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