Trump: Deal struck to send Ukraine weapons through NATO

President Trump said late Thursday that a deal was struck with NATO to send weapons to Ukraine, with the military alliance bearing the brunt of the cost. 

“We’re sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100 percent," he said in a phone interview with NBC News. "So, what we’re doing is the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine], and NATO is paying for those weapons."

The president added that the deal was struck in June at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands.

“We send weapons to NATO, and NATO is going to reimburse the full cost of those weapons,” Trump told NBC's “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is talking to multiple countries in Europe, including Spain and Germany, that have Patriot batteries — a key element in the defense system used to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles — about sending them over to Kyiv. 

“Well, the Spaniards have them. They’re really far from Ukraine and they have one. The Germans have, others have them — I’m not singling them out, but I’m just telling you those are two that I know," Rubio told reporters while in Malaysia after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "There are other Patriot batteries, and there are other opportunities."

“Countries that have ordered Patriot batteries that are about to receive shipments of them, it’d be great if one of them volunteered to defer that shipment and send it to Ukraine instead,” Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, added. 

The conversation comes as the president intensified his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying that the two leaders have made “no progress” on brokering a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also said he does not think Putin is looking to halt the war in Eastern Europe, which has been ongoing since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Trump administration restarted sending some defense weapons to Ukraine on Monday, days after the Defense Department ordered a pause on delivering some air defense missiles and munitions, citing concerns of U.S. stockpiles being depleted.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that he spoke with Trump on Thursday and has pushed allies within the alliance to send weapons to Ukraine. 

“Russia’s continued massive attacks against Ukrainian civilians are deplorable. Earlier today I urged leaders to go further so Ukraine has more ammunition & air defences,” Rutte said in a Thursday post on social platform X.

“I’ve just spoken with President Trump & am now working closely with Allies to get Ukraine the help they need," he added.