Trump: Putin understands that the US sells weapons to NATO countries, not directly to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin understands: American weapons are sold not directly to Ukraine, but to NATO countries, which then independently manage them. Trump wrote about this on July 24 on the social network Truth Social.
According to the US President, during the conversation, Putin also assured that Russia would not sell weapons to Iran.
Trump noted that the US sells weapons to NATO allies at full price, and the further distribution of these weapons is decided by the alliance member countries themselves. He added that his relations with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remain unchanged.
«He (Putin. — Ed.) understands that I don't sell weapons to Ukraine, I sell them to NATO countries. They pay full price for them, and how these weapons are distributed afterward, I have no idea,» Trump said.
The American president also reported that during a recent meeting in Beijing, PRC Chairman Xi Jinping promised him that China would under no circumstances supply or sell weapons to Iran. According to Trump, this also applies to Chinese companies. He noted that he trusts these words and believes that Russia and China are not involved in the conflict around Iran. In his opinion, supplying weapons to Iran would not be in the interests of either Moscow or Beijing.
«Given our relationship, I take him (Xi Jinping. — Ed.) at his word, and, moreover, I am doing him a great favor,» the US President stated.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila, stated the unacceptability of further arms supplies to Ukraine. In response, Rubio emphasized that Washington's policy has not changed: the US sells weapons as part of the NATO program, not directly to Kyiv.
On the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is taking into account the continued supply of American weapons to Ukraine. At the same time, according to him, the Russian side intends to use the contradictions in the Trump administration's approaches to the Ukrainian settlement to its advantage. He noted that the US continues to supply weapons to Ukraine.
Comments
[Зрэдагавана]