US is selling weapons to NATO allies to give to Ukraine, Trump says

WASHINGTON — The United States is selling weapons to its NATO allies in Europe so they can provide them to Ukraine as it struggles to fend off a recent escalation in Russia's drone and missile attacks, President Donald Trump and his chief diplomat said.

''We're sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100%,'' Trump said in an interview with NBC News late Thursday. ''So what we're doing is, the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons (to Ukraine), and NATO is paying for those weapons."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that some of the U.S.-made weapons that Ukraine is seeking are deployed with NATO allies in Europe. Those weapons could be transferred to Ukraine, with European countries buying replacements from the U.S., he said.

''It's a lot faster to move something, for example, from Germany to Ukraine than it is to order it from a (U.S.) factory and get it there,'' Rubio told reporters during a visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ukraine badly needs more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to stop Russian ballistic and cruise missiles. The Trump administration has gone back and forth about providing more vital military aid to Ukraine more than three years into Russia's invasion.

After a brief pause in some weapons shipments, Trump said he would keep sending defensive weapons to Ukraine. U.S. officials said this week that some were on their way.

Ukraine is seeking more coveted Patriot air defense systems

NATO itself doesn't send weapons to Ukraine or otherwise own or handle arms — which its 32 member nations take care of — but ships items like medical supplies and fuel.

''Allies continue to work to ensure that Ukraine has the support they need to defend themselves against Russia's aggression," NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said. "This includes urgent efforts to procure key supplies from the United States, including air defense and ammunition.''

Germany, Spain and other European countries possess Patriot missile systems, and some have placed orders for more, Rubio said.

The U.S. is encouraging its NATO allies ''to provide those weapons, systems, the defensive systems that Ukraine seeks … since they have them in their stocks, and then we can enter into financial agreements with them, with us, where they can purchase the replacements,'' Rubio said.

Ukraine has asked other countries to supply it with an additional 10 Patriot systems and missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday. Germany is ready to provide two systems, and Norway has agreed to supply one, he said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that officials ''stand ready to acquire additional Patriot systems from the U.S. and make them available to Ukraine.''

Asked how many Patriot systems Germany is interested in buying, Merz didn't give a number. But he said that he spoke to Trump a week ago ''and asked him to deliver these systems.''

In addition to the Patriots, the weaponry that could be sold to NATO members includes advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, shorter range missiles and Howitzer rounds, according to a person familiar with the internal White House debate. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking more details.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has been in touch with Trump in recent days, said it's in the U.S. national security interest to sell weapons to Ukraine, and ''Europe can pay for them.''

''We have the best weapons. They sure as hell know how to use them,'' Graham said in an interview in Rome while attending a meeting on the sidelines of a Ukraine recovery conference.

The ability of allies to purchase U.S. weapons for Ukraine would get around a possible stalemate from Congress in funding for Kyiv once the most recent Ukraine aid package approved last year runs out. Even with broad support in Congress for backing Ukraine, it's unclear if more funding would be approved.

Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses by launching major aerial attacks. Earlier this week, Russia fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine, topping previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks.

At the same time, Russia's bigger army is pressing hard on parts of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where thousands of soldiers on both sides have died since the Kremlin ordered the invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.

Evolving stance on Putin

Trump's efforts to facilitate Ukraine's weapon supply come as he has signaled his displeasure with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At a Cabinet meeting this week, he said he was ''not happy'' with Putin over a conflict that was ''killing a lot of people'' on both sides.

Graham says Trump has given him the go-ahead to push forward with a bill he's co-sponsoring that calls, in part, for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil. Trump said Tuesday that he's ''looking at it very strongly.''

In the NBC News interview, Trump teased that he will make a major announcement on Russia next week.

The U.S. president also has had a tumultuous relationship with Zelenskyy, which reached a low point during an Oval Office blowup in February when Trump berated him for being ''disrespectful.'' The relationship has since shown signs of rebounding.

The two leaders spoke by phone last week about Ukraine's air defenses. Zelenskyy said Thursday that talks with Trump have been ''very constructive.''

Impact of the latest Russian attacks

In the latest attacks, a Russian drone barrage targeted the center of Kharkiv just before dawn Friday, injuring nine people and damaging a maternity hospital in Ukraine's second-largest city, officials said.

''There is no silence in Ukraine,'' Zelenskyy said. A daytime drone attack on the southern city of Odesa also injured nine.

Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, has endured repeated and intensifying drone attacks in recent weeks, as have many other regions of the country, mostly at night.

June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 wounded, the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said.

Other weapons sought by Ukraine

Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's Western partners to quickly follow through on pledges they made at the international meeting in Rome on Thursday.

Ukraine needs more interceptor drones to bring down Russian-made Shahed drones, he said.

After repeated Russian drone and missile onslaughts, authorities said Friday they're establishing a comprehensive drone interception system under a project called Clear Sky. It includes a $6.2 million investment in interceptor drones, operator training and new mobile response units, the Kyiv Military Administration said.

''We found a solution. ... That's the key,'' Zelenskyy said. ''We need financing. And then, we will intercept.''

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Lee reported from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Novikov from Kyiv, Ukraine. AP writers Lorne Cook in Brussels, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine