Donald Trump has expressed his disappointment with Vladimir Putin for launching nighttime attacks and has committed to providing advanced US weaponry to Ukraine.
The US president is expected to unveil an “aggressive” new weapons plan at a high-stakes meeting with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte today.
The plan is said to include long-range missiles and offensive systems capable of striking deep inside Russian territory, according to Axios.
Returning from the FIFA Club World Cup final, Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday: “I am very disappointed with President Putin.
“I thought he was somebody that meant what he said, and he’ll talk so beautifully and then he’ll bomb people at night. We don’t like that.
“We plan to supply them with Patriots, which are crucial for them, as Putin has caught many off guard. This situation is a bit troublesome, and I’m not a fan of it,” he stated.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Axios on Sunday: “Trump is really p****d at Putin. His announcement tomorrow is going to be very aggressive.”
Trump indicated that the US would not only supply Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems but also “very sophisticated” military hardware.
It comes as Russia continues to pound Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones on a nearly-nightly basis.
Two people were killed and 28 injured in Kyiv last Thursday alone, with further strikes hitting a maternity hospital in Kharkiv over the weekend.
This statement represents a significant shift from Trump’s previous stance while in office, during which he was against supplying offensive weapons to Kyiv and often disagreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
But frustration has been mounting in recent weeks, particularly following a July 3 phone call with Putin, in which the Kremlin tyrant reportedly told Trump he planned to escalate operations to seize full control of occupied Ukrainian territories within 60 days.
“He wants to take all of it,” Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron shortly afterwards, according to a source cited by Axios.
That phone call was reportedly a turning point.
In the days that followed, Trump intervened to restart US weapons deliveries that had been paused by the Pentagon and vegan crafting a weapons package that appears to include long-range missiles.
European countries will foot the bill, Trump said Sunday, with the US manufacturing the arms.
“They are going to pay us 100% for them. It is going to be business for us,” Trump said.
“They do need protection.”
At Monday’s meeting with Nato’s Rutte, Trump is also expected to back a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia’s financial and energy sectors.
The Telegraph reports that the sanctions bill, led by Senator Graham, would impose asset freezes and banking restrictions on Russian officials, oligarchs and military figures, and ban US investments in Russia’s energy industry.
“We get a lot of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting last week.
The forthcoming sanctions, which Trump hinted could be rolled out “totally at [his] option,” represent a rare show of unity between the White House and hawkish lawmakers in Congress.
The move comes amid increasing signs of Russian reliance on foreign allies — especially North Korea.
It comes as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un pledged “unconditional support” for Putin’s war in Ukraine during a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
According to The New York Post, Kim reaffirmed North Korea’s readiness to back all Russian efforts to “tackle the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis.”
The rogue regime has reportedly deployed over 12,000 troops and millions of rounds of artillery to support Russia’s war effort, with plans to send tens of thousands more.
In exchange, Moscow is believed to be supplying Pyongyang with military equipment and technology, and has committed to aiding in the reconstruction of Russia’s war-damaged territories, including Kursk.
As North Korea and Russia tighten their military ties, the Trump administration’s growing aggressiveness signals a stark turn in U.S. strategy — one that some officials hope will finally shift Putin’s calculus.
“I will say the Ukrainians were brave, but we gave them the best equipment ever made,” Trump said last week.
“They were able to shoot down a lot of things.”
What is the Patriot missile system?
THE Patriot missile system (MIM-104) is a US long-range, surface-to-air defense platform designed to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and even ballistic missiles.
Originally developed during the Cold War, it has been continuously upgraded, with its most modern versions—PAC-2 and PAC-3—offering different capabilities.
PAC-2 missiles use explosive warheads to target aircraft and cruise missiles, while the PAC-3 variant is optimised for missile defense, using a high-speed “hit-to-kill” approach to destroy incoming ballistic threats through direct impact.
The system is supported by an advanced radar (AN/MPQ-65) that can track over 100 targets simultaneously and guide multiple missiles at once.
A single battery can protect a wide area, but its coverage is still finite, making it most effective when used as part of a layered air defense network.
Patriot systems have been deployed by the U.S. and many allies and have seen combat in conflicts like the Gulf War and, more recently, in Ukraine.
While extremely capable, each missile is costly—PAC-3 rounds can exceed $4 million—and the system can be overwhelmed by mass attacks if not properly supported.
