President Donald Trump’s vacillation over who he’s more sympathetic to in the Russia-Ukraine war has flipped once again in recent weeks, with the president seeming to side with Russia.
He agreed to a deal to buy diesel oil from Russia and lift sanctions, and has called for Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced as Ukraine’s president by someone more willing to agree to a deal with the Russians to end the war.
The PAC-3 MSE is a highly sought-after air defense munition due to its advanced capabilities and versatility. As a next-generation interceptor, it offers improved range, speed, and maneuverability, making it an effective counter to a wide range of threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. (Official U.S. Army photo)
Patriot Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Now, there’s another report about Trump taking an action that helps Russia and hurts Ukraine.
No Patriots Yet
This summer and fall, there was a weeks-long back-and-forth over whether the Trump Administration would approve licenses for Patriot missile interceptors for Ukraine, which the country desperately needs to defend itself from Russian missile attacks.
Zelensky met with executives from the defense companies that make the interceptors and directly asked Trump for them.
The president first said yes, then equivocated during a televised cabinet meeting in late July.
By September, however, Zelensky announced that the U.S. had made the “final decision” to let Ukraine produce the missiles, a promise Trump had given him during a meeting between the two leaders.
If approved, those licenses would let Ukraine manufacture the interceptors itself, a capability still years away.
Now, however, the Pentagon appears to be holding back on delivering existing Patriot missiles.
The Washington Post reported Monday that the administration “has not approved the transfer of interceptor missiles to Ukraine.” This means the Pentagon has not approved transfers of weapons from other countries to Ukraine that require U.S. approval because the weapons are American-made.
The Kyiv Independent first reported the delays.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Post reported, “has not formally rejected the transfers but also has not completed the required steps to approve them,” while the Pentagon has continued to approve some assistance to Ukraine.
And this has left Ukraine with “only a couple” of remaining Patriot interceptors, as Russian ballistic missile barrages continue to strike Ukraine.
Why Trump Blames Zelensky
Trump and Zelensky have a complicated history.
Trump’s 2019 phone call to Zelensky during his first term, which was also about Ukraine asking for weapons, led to his first impeachment.
Trump ran in 2024 promising to end the war, and failed to deliver on that promise, even berating his Ukrainian counterpart in a White House meeting in February.
More recently, though, relations between the two presidents have thawed, including multiple face-to-face meetings and, eventually, the promise of those interceptors.
However, as the Post noted, things between Trump and Zelensky have soured, with Trump settling into a story, heading into the midterm election, that is Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries, and not anything related to Iran or the Strait of Hormuz, that have caused oil prices to rise and his party’s chances in the November elections to sink.
And things have gotten more urgent for Ukraine, with Russia launching a reported 16 ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, and the Financial Times reporting that Ukraine received only partial advance warning from its Western allies.
There were two attacks, FT reported, and Ukraine only received a warning about one of them.
“We have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to end this war with dignity,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram after the attacks.
He added that when Russia receives sanctions relief, as it did from the U.S. earlier this month, and when weapons deliveries are blocked, “this is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners.”
Pushing Ukraine to Surrender?
In a Bloomberg News interview published this weekend, Zelensky said Trump is trying to get Ukraine to surrender.
“I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate,” the Ukrainian leader told Bloomberg, citing both the sanctions relief and the blocking of interceptor deliveries.
In another weekend interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelensky said he would be willing to stand for election while the war continues.
Trump, in a Truth Social post over the weekend, accused Zelensky of not wanting to end the war, while also implying that the Ukrainian government had been stealing some portion of aid from the U.S.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
