Trump says he's 'looking at' sending another Patriot missile system to Ukraine

(AP) President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's "looking at" sending another Patriot missile system to Ukraine, which he said is "getting hit hard" by Russia.

"They want to prevent death. They're getting hit hard, very hard. So we're looking at it," Trump told reporters during a White House lunch with visiting African leaders.

The acknowledgement comes as the president says he will send more defensive weapons to Ukraine, quickly reversing a move by the Pentagon a week earlier that paused some weapons deliveries to Kyiv.

The Pentagon, which announced last week that it would hold back some air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons pledged to Ukraine because of what U.S. officials said were concerns that American stockpiles were in short supply. Trump said Monday that the U.S. will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, effectively reversing the move.

But Trump privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing the pause— a move that he felt wasn’t properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly.

During the question and answer session with reporters, Trump offered no clarity on who issued the order to pause the weapons shipments, saying, "I haven't thought about it."

“I would know if a decision is made. I will know,” Trump told reporters when asked about who ordered the pause on . “I will be the first to know. In fact, most likely I’d give the order but I haven’t done that yet.”

Asked about any progress on a deal in the war between Israel and Gaza, saying he believes a ceasefire agreement could be reached "this week or next."

But he also added, “not definitely,” saying there was nothing definite about war or the situation in Gaza.

Administration officials have repeatedly suggested that a ceasefire could be reached during the visit of Netanyahu, who is in Washington and visited the White House on Monday and Tuesday.

That means suggestions that an agreement may not come until next week mean reaching one might take longer than previously believed.

Asked about his continuing letters to U.S. trading partners warning of more tariffs, Trump said Brazil would likely be next, telling reporters that letter will be coming soon.

"Brazil, as an example, has been not good to us, not good at all. We're going be releasing a Brazil number, I think, later on this afternoon or tomorrow morning," Trump said.

The president told reporters his formula for imposing tariffs is "based on common sense, based on deficits, based on how we've been treated over the years, and based on raw numbers."

Courtesy: Associated Press

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