KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainians welcomed President Donald Trump’s pledge of more U.S.-made weapons in their fight against Russia’s invasion, even though it is unclear what exactly they will get and how quickly.
The time frame for further arms deliveries that European countries have agreed to pay for is crucial.
Russia is making a summer push to break through along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, and its drones and missiles are hammering Ukrainian cities more than at any time in the past three years.
Ukrainian officials have made no direct comment about Trump’s decision to allow Russia 50 days to reach a deal to end the war, or face what he said would be “very severe” economic sanctions. While some believe strict tariffs on Moscow could be a game changer, the postponement until September struck others as being too long.
For Russia, Trump’s delay of new sanctions is a reprieve. Senior Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev commented: “Oh, how much can change both on the battlefield and with the mood of those leading the U.S. and NATO in 50 days.”
Russian state television pointed out that Trump’s decision would bring a bigger financial burden for Europe.
Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukraine. Ukraine’s depleted army has recently been losing more territory, but there is no sign of a looming collapse on the front line, analysts say.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke to Trump after the Republican leader’s Oval Office announcement Monday, expressing gratitude for the decision to send more Patriot air defense missiles that are vital to defend Ukrainian cities.
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“We discussed … the necessary measures and decisions to provide greater protection for people from Russian attacks and strengthen our positions,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. “We agreed to talk more often and coordinate our steps in the future.”
Trump and Zelenskyy have had a notoriously fraught relationship, and Washington’s consent to providing more weaponry has eased Kyiv’s worries.
Even so, some Ukrainians felt the U.S. decision won’t alter the course of the war.
“If we take the situation as a whole, it hardly looks like this will fundamentally change anything,” Kyiv resident Oles Oliinyk, 33, told The Associated Press.
Nina Tokar, 70, was also skeptical. “I have very little faith in (Trump). He says one thing today, and tomorrow he may say something else.”
A Ukrainian army officer fighting in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region said the 50-day delay on sanctions “is a very long time.”
“They (the Russians) will say, ‘Give us two more weeks,’ and then in two weeks, ‘Give us another week.’ It will drag on until October or November,” he told AP, using only the call sign “Cat” in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp agreed. “I do believe that the 50 days that Mr Trump has announced is rather long. It’s up to September 2. I think that’s rather long.”
Much remains to be worked out about how the weapons, especially the Patriot systems, will be provided, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in Brussels on Tuesday.
But, in an indication that Europe is relieved that the U.S. hasn’t walked away from the conflict, he added: “The most important thing is that we now have an American readiness to deliver these most needed weapons.”
Some European countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, still rely heavily on Russia for energy supplies and could be hit hard by Trump’s threatened secondary sanctions on countries that buy its oil and gas — an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Trump’s 50-day delay was a “signal for Europe to prepare ourselves, because we still have some member states that are exposed to imports of oil and oil products from Russia.”
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said it remains to be seen whether Trump’s announcement will be a turnaround but “what is decisive is that the tone has changed.” The president’s threat to impose sanctions after 50 days is “significant progress,” Pistorius told ARD television.
Cook reported from Brussels.
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