Trump admits US often redirects ammunition across the world
US President Donald Trump has commented on media reports about the possible redirection to the Middle East of American weapons intended for Ukraine.
Source: Trump at an open cabinet meeting, as reported by European Pravda
Details: In response to a journalist's question, Trump said that the US regularly redirects weapons from different parts of the world.
"We do that all the time. We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We have them in other countries, like in Germany and all over Europe. We're packed. And we take sometimes; we take from one, and we use for another," he said.
Details: Trump reiterated that the previous administration had allocated "too much" funding for assistance to Ukraine and added that NATO is now handling this support.
Quote: "We helped Ukraine, [Joe] Biden started, and he gave US$350 billion away, too much, way too much. And we sell it now to NATO. We sell it to NATO and they probably give it to Ukraine, mostly, I think they give it to Ukraine, but we get paid for everything that we give; we don't give anything anymore."
Details: Trump also said that the situation with Ukraine is "very tough", but the US continues working towards a solution.
Background:
- The Washington Post previously reported that the Pentagon is considering redirecting weapons intended for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran is depleting stocks of some of the US military's most critical munitions. Sources said the weapons that could be redirected include air defence interceptor missiles.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Trump's administration has not halted deliveries of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems despite the war in the Middle East.
- Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, said about 800 US-made interceptor missiles had been used in three days in the Middle East, more than the roughly 700 missiles Ukraine had used over the winter period.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!