On Sunday, Donald Trump announced that the United States would hand over the Patriot anti-aircraft defence systems to Ukraine.
This decision is simply a manifestation of a wider turn of American policy towards Russian aggression. During a brief speech, the president of the United States made it clear:
“We will send them the Patriots they desperately need.”
At the same time, it left no uncertainty as to who would bear the costs of the full operation. The American budget will stay intact:
"The European Union will pay for this. We do not pay a penny for this, but we will supply the equipment.”
Trump besides spared no bitter words at Vladimir Putin:
“Putin truly amazed many people. He speaks nicely in the morning, and in the evening he bombards everyone.”
These declarations have serious political implications. Patriots are 1 of the most costly and effective air defence systems in the world. 1 battery costs billions of dollars, a single rocket – hundreds of thousands. Until now Ukraine has received limited numbers, mainly from the USA, Germany and the Netherlands. Trump, however, makes it clear that the European Union is to pay for everything. This is not the first time the Washington administration has tried to shift financial burdens to European allies, but this time it is about very circumstantial equipment, not general support.
There are already talks going on behind the scenes. The German defence minister Boris Pistorius is scheduled to meet with the American Secretary of defence this week to clarify the details of financing and logistics. In the background, there is besides the issue of EU funds specified as the European Peace Initiative, which has funds for this kind of expenditure.
Commenting on the situation, 1 European diplomat admitted unofficially:
"It is not a question of whether, but how shortly it will be possible to rise funds. We must act due to the fact that Ukraine needs it.”
The full issue shows not only the expanding tension on the US-Russia line, but besides the expanding force on Europe to take greater work for the safety of its own region. Trump leaves no area for negotiation. As he said clearly:
“They will pay us 1 100 percent of this value.”
The decision to transfer Ukraine's Patriots from European money means that the Union's defence policy is entering a fresh stage.
