US Patriot missiles to Ukraine: Trump administration and relations with Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump has refrained from making clear statements regarding the delivery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine. The reason for this decision is the potential hindrance it could cause to peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. This was reported by The Washington Post.

According to the newspaper, the White House fears that sending the missiles to Ukraine will provoke strong anger from Russia's leadership and negatively affect the peace process in Ukraine. There are questions about the possibility of the U.S. selling Patriot air defense systems or their missiles. This issue has been raised by Kyiv multiple times, but the U.S. government is cautious about moving to a new stage in the matter.

In Ukraine, international intelligence sources are helping to monitor daily changes. There is no capability to intercept Russia’s ballistic missiles. According to a high-ranking official from Ukraine’s intelligence agency, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles were also ineffective in intercepting the “Oreshnik” ballistic missile. This shows the high effectiveness of Russia's "Iskander" missiles.

According to The Washington Post, Ukraine has a critical need for Patriot missiles this season. Biden's current stockpiles are dwindling, and the Trump administration does not want to send more aid from the U.S. The problem for Ukraine is that they are not getting the much-needed Patriot missiles. However, Trump’s decisions and statements from U.S. officials could further intensify the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, reported that the Ukrainian government had requested new Patriot missiles from the U.S. However, it was later revealed that the U.S. does not intend to provide them because they do not have such systems in their stockpiles. This means Washington, without directly providing the Patriot systems, is relying on NATO allies and asking them to provide Patriot missiles from their reserves. According to Rubio, NATO allies are not willing to part with these systems.

At this moment, actions by U.S. representatives could lead to various issues related to the lack of tangible results from the system. The Trump administration is trying to avoid resolving this issue, but the involvement of European countries and NATO's general stance could influence how this process develops.

How the system will be directed and to whom the Patriot missiles will be delivered could further complicate the political and military situation in the region. If the relationship between Trump and Macron becomes clearer, it may also affect other international processes.