Trump vows to send more weapons to Ukraine in policy U-turn

President Donald Trump has made a U-turn on weapons for Ukraine (Alex Brandon/AP)

President Donald Trump has said the US will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv.

The comments by Mr Trump appeared to be an abrupt change in posture after the Pentagon announced last week that it would hold back delivering to Ukraine some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons because of what US officials said were concerns that stockpiles have declined too much.

“We have to,” Mr Trump said. ”They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. We’re going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily.”

The pause had come at a difficult moment for Ukraine, which has faced increasing — and more complex — air barrages from Russia during the more than three-year war.

Paramedics help residents evacuate their house that was destroyed by a Russian air strike in Kharkiv (Andrii Marienko/AP)

Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least 11 civilians and injured more than 80 others, including seven children, officials said on Monday.

The move last week to abruptly pause shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds and weaponry took Ukrainian officials and other allies by surprise.

The Pentagon said late on Monday that at Mr Trump’s direction, it would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine “to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops”.

Spokesman Sean Parnell added that its framework for Mr Trump to evaluate military shipments worldwide continues as part of “America First” defence priorities.

Mr Trump, speaking at the start of a dinner he was hosting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, vented his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Trump has struggled to find a resolution to the war in Ukraine but maintains he is determined to quickly conclude a conflict that he had promised as candidate to end on day one of his second term.

He has threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia’s oil industry to try to prod Mr Putin into peace talks.

Senator Lindsey Graham said last week that Mr Trump has given him the go-ahead to push forward with a Bill he is co-sponsoring that calls, in part, for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil. The move would have huge ramifications for China and India, two economic giants that buy Russian oil.

“I’m not happy with President Putin at all,” Mr Trump said on Monday.