Trump approves first Ukraine arms transfer via Nato amid strained ties with Putin

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the United States would begin supplying weapons to Ukraine via Nato, marking a significant shift in his administration’s approach to the war as Kyiv faces growing pressure from Russian forces.

In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said the US was finalising a new arrangement in which Nato would fully fund the arms transfer. “We’re sending weapons to Nato, and Nato is paying for those weapons, 100%,” Trump said. “The weapons that are going out are going to Nato, and then Nato is going to be giving those weapons to Ukraine.”

This will be the first time since returning to office that Trump will personally authorise weapons for Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority — a legal tool allowing the president to transfer arms directly from US stockpiles in times of emergency. His administration, until now, had only sent weapons previously authorised under former President Joe Biden.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Trump’s team is preparing to send a package worth roughly $300 million, potentially including Patriot missile systems and medium-range rockets, though a final decision on the exact weapons is pending.

Trump’s move comes amid his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has previously praised but now appears to be criticising for the ongoing war effort.

“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday,” Trump told NBC, declining to elaborate. His comments reflect a shift in tone, as he expressed displeasure with Moscow’s failure to pursue peace despite promises to resolve the conflict quickly.

Though Trump campaigned on promises to end the war swiftly, little progress has been made months into his term. The war in Ukraine, sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues to dominate foreign policy discussions in Washington and among Nato allies.

Meanwhile, Russia launched heavy airstrikes across Ukraine on Thursday, just hours before a conference in Rome where Kyiv secured billions in aid pledges. At least two people were killed and 26 injured, according to Ukraine’s national emergency services. Missile and drone strikes caused widespread damage, hitting nearly every district of Kyiv and several other regions across the country.

Addressing the Rome conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction after more than three years of war, Zelenskiy urged allies to “more actively” use Russian assets for rebuilding and called for weapons, joint defence production and investment.

At talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while in Malaysia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had reinforced the message that Moscow should show more flexibility.

“We need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can conclude,” Rubio said, adding that the Trump administration had been engaging with the US Senate on what new sanctions on Russia might look like.

“It was a frank conversation. It was an important one,” Rubio said after the 50-minute talks in Kuala Lumpur. Moscow’s foreign ministry said they had shared “a substantive and frank exchange of views”.

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