President Donald Trump’s latest betrayal of Ukraine could leave the nation defenseless while emboldening Russia to become even more aggressive.
The Trump administration has yet to approve the transfers of vital defensive missiles to Ukraine, endangering millions amid constant bombardments from Russia, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
Some of the transfers of Patriot interceptor missiles from countries friendly to Ukraine must be approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Post reported.
The transfers require American approval because the weapons are manufactured in the U.S. and shipped overseas under an agreement that allows the U.S. to sign off on transfers to other countries.
While the self-styled “Secretary of War” didn’t outright reject them, officials told the outlet he still needs to complete the necessary steps to approve them.
A Ukrainian official told the Post last week that “only a few” Patriot interceptors remain in their arsenal.
A senior Pentagon official told the Daily Beast in a statement: “There has been no change to Department of War policy regarding intelligence sharing or any capabilities we are enabling Europeans to provide to Ukraine. The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, through which NATO allies and partners provide commensurate contributions for U.S.-provided defense articles and services, continues unaltered.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The latest discourtesy comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine thanks to Trump’s frequent condemnations of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In his latest tirade, the 80-year-old president blew up at Zelensky at the White House on Monday, blaming him for the war that Trump’s pal, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, started and repeating his demand that he should be “replaced.”
“He should have had this war settled a long time ago,” Trump said. “If he would have listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago, and he’d have a million people living from his side.”
He continued, “And to be honest, I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine [for an end to the war] because what’s happened? … A tremendous number of people are dead. They’re losing their male population. Ukraine could have had this thing settled a long time ago if he would have listened to me.”
Zelensky had criticized Trump’s unprecedented waiving of sanctions on Russia, saying that an agreement was “victory” for Putin and that the Russian president was “laughing.”
He wrote on Telegram on Monday that Russia launched an overnight ballistic missile offensive and that there was “no warning from our partners.”
“We have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to end this war with dignity,” Zelensky wrote, according to the Post. “It is very important to call things by their proper names. We must call the aggressor an aggressor and help Ukraine protect lives. When deliveries of missiles for Ukraine’s air defense are blocked, while Russia receives sanctions relief or delays, this is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners.”
