Washington, 14 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he intends to sell Patriot missile defences to the European Union, which would then supply them to Ukraine.

Speaking to journalists at Joint Base Andrews military airfield near Washington, Trump described the deal as a business transaction, saying, "The European Union is paying for it. We're not paying anything for it, but we will send it... we will send them Patriots."

"I haven't agreed on the number yet, but they're going to have some because they do need protection," he added.

The US president did not say which EU countries would pay for the weapons nor did he provide details, but mentioned a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte set to take place in Washington on Monday.

On Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Berlin was planning on purchasing the US-made Patriot air defence systems for delivery to Ukraine, without specifying how many.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later said that Germany has agreed to pay for two Patriot systems.

Last week, Trump, airing his discontent over Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to meaningfully engage in peace negotiations, said he had approved a delivery of defensive weapons to Ukraine.

He later said that Ukraine's wish for an additional Patriot air defence system would be evaluated.

On Sunday, Trump again criticized Putin's behaviour, saying "he talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening. So there's a little bit of a problem there."

Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years, in large part thanks to weapons supplied by Western allies.

Photo: MIA archive