Trump to resume sending defensive missiles to Ukraine after previous shipment pause

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Jul. 13 that the U.S. will be sending defensive weapons to Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Trump's missile plans

The shipment, which will reportedly include Patriot air defence missiles used to deflect attacking missiles mid-air, is necessary for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, Trump said, according to Reuters.

While the number of Patriot missiles were not specified, Trump added that the costs of the missiles would not be borne by the U.S. but by the European Union (EU) as they would be "reimbursed" for the missiles.

Previous shipment paused

20 Patriot missiles were previously scheduled to reach Ukraine.

However, the plan was halted on Jul 2. after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for a review on the shipment's impact on the U.S stockpile.

Hegseth's decision was allegedly made without the White House's consent, CNN said.

According to Axios, Trump's decision to resume supplying Ukraine with defensive weapons came after days of consultations with aides and other world leaders.

"We are going to have to send more weapons to Ukraine. Defensive weapons, they have to defend themselves," Trump said on Jul. 7.

He has reportedly also urged Germany to aid Ukraine with their own Patriot arsenal.

Future plans

Reuters reported that Trump may soon shift from sending Ukraine defensive weapons to offensive ones, according to sources who spoke in anonymity.

Plans are underway for him to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this week to discuss a number of issues, including the plight of Ukraine.

Order of magnitude

The shipment of Patriot missiles comes amidst an unrelenting increase in drone and missile attacks on Ukraine by Russia.

The Guardian reports that over June 2025 Russia fired 5,209 rockets and drones at Ukraine, in contrast to the 580 it used the previous year.

The Associated Press reported on Jul. 10 that Russia had fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine, a record number.

Trump vs. Putin

40 months into the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump's displeasure with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been steadily increasing, after Putin repeatedly rejected negotiations of a ceasefire.

Most recently, an attempt at a ceasefire proposal over an hour-long phone call between both presidents ended in failure to make any progress, and with Trump calling Putin's words "bullshit".

Putin "talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening," Trump said of his Russian counterpart on Jul 13.

Top images via Volodymyr Zelensky/Facebook & Donald Trump/Facebook