Trump says US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine via NATO as Russian attacks intensify

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on June 25, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meets with US President Donald Trump on the sideline of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague.

Amid a surge in Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine, US President Donald Trump has announced that Washington will send additional weapons – including Patriot air defense systems – to Ukraine through NATO. The decision marks a notable shift in Trump's previously cautious stance on military aid to Kyiv.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump said the US would supply the systems to the alliance, which would then coordinate the distribution to Ukraine.

“We’re going to be sending Patriots to NATO, and then NATO will distribute that,” Trump said, adding that “NATO is going to reimburse the full cost."

Ukraine faces escalating attacks

The announcement comes on the heels of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desperate appeal for more air defence systems following a record-breaking Russian drone offensive. Over the past week, 728 drones targeted Ukrainian cities, resulting in widespread destruction and a steep rise in civilian casualties.

Zelensky urged allies to provide at least 10 Patriot batteries, calling them “real protectors of life” as Ukraine’s current defences strain under the pressure of sustained aerial assaults.

The United Nations has reported that June was the deadliest month in Ukraine in the last three years, with 232 civilians killed and over 1,300 injured due to Russian strikes.