The White House is considering delivering an additional Patriot air-defense system to Ukraine, two officials told the Wall Street Journal. This would mark Trump’s first approval of a major weapons system beyond what Biden had authorized.

The White House has requested options from the Pentagon for sending Ukraine additional weapons, including a Patriot system, one official told the Wall Street Journal. Officials are also examining whether other countries can provide more Patriots to Kyiv.

Previously Axios reported, citing two sources, that Trump has committed to sending ten Patriot interceptor missiles immediately, far fewer than Ukraine needs to defend against constant Russian missile attacks.

Ukraine needs Patriots to save civilian lives

Russian forces launch waves of missiles and drones almost nightly. On the night of 9 July, Russia conducted its largest-ever aerial assault on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, firing a record 741 air targets, including 728 drones and 13 missiles across multiple regions. 

The capital city of Kyiv faces regular bombardment targeting civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s existing Patriots work around the clock, but they can’t cover the entire country. So Russian missiles hit apartment buildings, schools, and hospitals.

Ukraine has maybe seven Patriot systems total, but only a handful operate simultaneously due to maintenance cycles.

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Trump flips on Ukraine weapons cutoff: “We have to help them”

According to a former Pentagon official cited by the Wall Street Journal, the United States has provided three Patriot systems to Kyiv, Germany has sent another three, and a European consortium has contributed one system. 

Ukraine’s older Soviet-era air defenses can’t match modern Russian cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons. Only advanced Western systems like Patriots can reliably intercept today’s threats. That’s why Ukrainian officials constantly plead for more—each additional system saves hundreds of lives.

“They are getting hit very, very hard. So many people are dying in that mess,” Trump said on 7 July. He’s praised Ukrainian troops for their fight while emphasizing defensive weapons: “Ukraine must have the capabilities to defend itself.”

US hesitates with sanctions on Russia’s energy exports

President Donald Trump, however, stalled a bipartisan US Senate sanctions bill aimed at imposing up to 500% tariffs on Russian energy exports, which had overwhelming support from 82 senators and was designed to choke off Russia’s war economy, particularly its trade with China and India.

Despite the bill’s backing by key Republicans and Democrats, the White House hesitated to move forward, with Trump expressing concerns that harsh sanctions might undermine ongoing peace talks with Russia. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, the bill’s authors, criticized Putin’s insincerity in peace negotiations and urged stronger measures, while some lawmakers argued the sanctions would strengthen US leverage.

Can economic pressure work? “Putin sees no reason to stop the war, because the US hasn’t taken action to force him to change his calculus,” said Alina Polyakova from the Center for European Policy Analysis, according to WSJ.