Trump to provide weapons first to allies giving their stocks to Ukraine – WSJ

Donald Trump’s administration is planning to redistribute weapons supplies to allies, prioritising those countries that are willing to provide Ukraine with weapons from their own stockpiles, particularly Patriot systems.

Source: The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), as reported by European Pravda

Details: The administration has moved Germany to the top of the queue for receiving Patriot air defence systems, which will allow Berlin to transfer two systems it already has to Ukraine.

The WSJ reports that the US promise to quickly replace the German Patriot systems is the first time the Pentagon has facilitated arms deliveries to Ukraine since Trump announced earlier this month that he supports additional military supplies.

Meanwhile, this move also highlighted the complexity of supplying Patriots and other weapons to Kyiv, as defence production lines in the West are struggling to cope with Ukraine's requests for help in protecting its cities and frontline forces from Russian aggression.

The attempt to speed up the delivery of Patriots to Ukraine by replenishing Germany's arsenal with systems from US production is in line with Trump's pledge to make NATO allies cover part of the cost of additional weapons for Ukraine.

The initial agreement is similar to a decision made in 2024 by the administration of former President Joe Biden which moved Ukraine to the top of the queue for air defence equipment directly from the US.

As more countries agree to supply Patriots from their arsenals to Ukraine, the Trump administration will continue to review plans for future deliveries, giving priority to these allies, a senior US official said.

More agreements between the US and its allies on the provision of additional weapons are likely to be concluded next week, the WSJ notes.

On Monday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold an online meeting with other NATO defence ministers to discuss aid to Kyiv.

A separate meeting involving countries that possess Patriot systems will take place on Wednesday, chaired by Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

A senior US official said that the Trump administration is seeking to conclude individual agreements with NATO members on the purchase of weapons for Ukraine. The Pentagon will oversee this process.

The WSJ adds that these agreements will go beyond the supply of Patriot systems and will include offensive and defensive weapons that NATO countries will provide to Kyiv and then repurchase from the United States.

A NATO official said Germany, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada and Finland have pledged to support this initiative. According to several European officials, other European countries may join in helping Kyiv once the details of the plan have been agreed upon.

Meanwhile, US and European officials warn that the critical issue is how long it will take to deliver additional weapons to Ukraine.

European capitals are waiting for Washington to clarify the types of ammunition and weapons that will be supplied to Ukraine, the delivery schedule and whether the US or other countries will impose restrictions on the targets against which Western ammunition can be used in Russia.

Background:

• This week, Trump promised more weapons for Ukraine and threatened 100% "secondary tariffs" for Russia if its leader, Vladimir Putin, does not agree to a ceasefire within 50 days.
• Trump said that NATO member countries will pay for the weapons that will be sent to Ukraine. Each Patriot battery costs more than US$1 billion, and the system's missiles cost about US$4 million each.
• At least some of the US's European allies were caught off guard by Trump's announcement of a plan for Europeans to purchase American weapons for Ukraine, and uncertainty remains as to who exactly will supply the Patriot systems.

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