Trump had confirmed that NATO states can buy American weapons, including the vital Patriot interceptor missiles and their launching systems. He even noted that 17 missile systems were at hand in one NATO country to ship out at once.
For Ukraine, the missiles are crucial to stem the nightly Russian missile attacks, especially as they have been running low on these advanced defense systems.
There could be other, unspecified American arms in this new package as well. This development provides immediate crucial assistance to Kyiv's defenses.
Absence of Sanctions Leaves a Policy Void – The U.S. and Israel Agree on an Issue
While no additional secondary sanctions were announced, the support could significantly decrease the use of Russian military equipment across the world, a decision that still falls far short of the more severe action that many of the president's most hawkish advisers had advocated immediate joint sanctions on countries that purchase Russian energy.
A bill introduced in the US Senate included draconian measures, including 500 percent sanctions on all trade with customers of Russian hydrocarbons. This would have placed acute economic pressure on Moscow.
Those sanctions would hit countries like China and India, which are heavy buyers of Russian energy, and could spur increases in the global oil price.
Trump's move provides a 50-day window until September, which could provide room for negotiations or on-the-ground shifts in the situation in Russia's military campaign.
Yet it also gives Vladimir Putin an opportunity to dodge immediate economic penalty.
The prospect that Beijing or New Delhi would sever energy ties with Russia is seen as remote, as both are heavily dependent on these supplies.
A few think this timeline provides for a slim possibility of international pressure upon Moscow, but even that is speculative.
Mixed Signals and That Old Standby
One difference in tone with Russia is evident from Trump. He steered clear of directly personalizing his attacks against Putin and spoke of how often his wife reminds him of the devastation being suffered in Kyiv.
Yet Trump's behavior demonstrates that his playbook is not entirely original.
There is no new American assistance for Ukraine, and no talk of new sophisticated weapons.
The generic approach is the same — letting other nations pay the financial price, passing deadlines the way some people put pigeons out to pasture, and clinging to the hope that Russia just might yet sign on to peace through negotiation.
Ukraine gets a brief reprieve with the announcement of these missiles, but, absent tougher sanctions or direct financial support, it is likely to feel more of the same frustration.
