Trump expected to approve long-range missiles for Ukraine in major policy shift

US President Trump is expected to make a fundamental change in his policy toward Ukraine following Russia’s increasing attacks. According to sources who spoke to the news portal Axios, Trump will announce a new weapons plan today, which includes long-range missiles capable of striking Moscow.

According to a report by the news portal Axios, citing two sources familiar with the matter, US President Donald Trump is expected to announce a new armament plan for Ukraine today, which is anticipated to include offensive weapons.

Sending offensive weapons signifies a major policy shift for Trump, who until recently emphasized that he would only provide defensive weapons to prevent an escalation of the conflict.

American, Ukrainian, and European officials hope these weapons will change the course of the war and influence Vladimir Putin’s calculations regarding a ceasefire.

While sources indicated the plan is likely to include long-range missiles capable of hitting targets deep within Russian territory, including Moscow, they added that the final decision has not yet been finalized.

‘Very angry with Putin’

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Axios, “Trump is very angry with Putin. His announcement tomorrow will be very harsh.”

Trump’s decision was influenced by a July 3 phone call with Putin, during which the Russian leader made it clear he plans to continue the war.

During the call, Putin implied that within the next 60 days, Russia would make a new move to capture territory up to the administrative borders of the Ukrainian regions where it has secured significant positions. According to a source for Axios, Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron shortly after his call with Putin, “He wants to take everything.”

Financing from Europe, weapons from the US

The new initiative, which Trump will present during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, proposes that European countries pay for the US-made weapons sent to Ukraine.

Speaking to the press on Sunday evening, Trump said the weapons he would send to Ukraine via European countries would include “various examples of very modern military equipment,” including Patriot air defense batteries.

Trump stated that European countries “will pay us 100% for these,” adding, “This will be a profitable deal for us.”

Diplomatic sources speaking to CBS News indicated that Trump could use $3.85 billion in funds remaining from his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration and could seize $5 billion of Russia’s frozen assets.

According to Axios, the new plan was proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the NATO summit two weeks ago.

A ‘good meeting’ with Zelenskyy

An American official said the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in The Hague at the end of June went well.

The official said of Zelenskyy, who appeared in public in a suit for the first time since 2022, “Zelenskyy came across as a normal person, not like a crazy person. He was dressed appropriately for NATO. The group with him didn’t look crazy either. So they had a good meeting.”

Russia’s record attacks

Russia’s almost daily attacks on Ukraine have pushed Trump to consider a new military aid package for Kyiv for the first time since his return to the White House.

Since June, Moscow has regularly broken its own records for the number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched at the neighboring country. The latest record was set on the night of July 9, when 728 UAVs of various types attacked Ukraine.

Before that, the largest air attack was carried out on the night of July 4 with 539 drones and 11 missiles. This week, Trump expressed that he was “disappointed” in Putin, who he said was “spewing a lot of nonsense.”

Meanwhile, sources for The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House has instructed the Pentagon to explore supplying an additional Patriot missile defense system to Kyiv, while sources speaking to Reuters said a $300 million aid package is being prepared.

This month, the Pentagon suspended arms shipments to Ukraine, a decision the White House explained was due to an inventory audit.

Sources for CNN indicated that the freezing of aid was an initiative by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that he had not coordinated with the president. Ten days later, the US resumed shipments of 155mm artillery shells and GMLRS rockets used in HIMARS systems to Ukraine.