US President Donald Trump has said Patriot missile defense systems will be sent to Ukraine to support its efforts to repel Russia.

Coming just weeks after arms shipments were paused by the Trump administration, the arrangement will, according to the US president, see the EU pay the US for the weapons systems that it sends onto Ukraine.

There is, as yet, no confirmation on the number of Patriot units that will be sent, or on any other US arms that may be dispatched. However, Germany has agreed to foot the bill for at least two Patriot batteries.

"We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they're going to pay us 100 percent for them," Trump said.

The announcement came as US special envoy to the Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, arrived in Ukraine's capital Kyiv for a week of talks with local officials.

The US supplied Patriots to Ukraine under former US President Joe Biden's  administration.

 

What is the Patriot missile system?

Made by US aerospace and defense conglomerate Raytheon, the MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system initially developed to intercept high-flying aircraft. It was modified in the 1980s to focus on the new threat of tactical ballistic missiles.

Patriot systems come in fully mobile batteries that include a command center, a radar station to detect incoming threats, and launchers. In 2022, the US-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), priced the system at over $1 billion.

As well as the US, Patriots have also been supplied to the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan, Greece, Spain, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Romania, Sweden, Poland, Bahrain and Switzerland.

Raytheon says it plans to continue updating the system through to 2048. Current Patriot batteries can defend against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones and aircraft, which are some of the airborne assets Russia uses to attack Ukraine.

However, Russian forces also use smaller devices, such as mini drones that keep closer to the ground, which are more difficult for the Patriot system to track and intercept.

The Patriot system covers an area of around 68 kilometers (42 miles), according to the German military. Its radar can track up to 50 targets and engage five of them at once. Depending on the version in use, the interceptor missiles can reach an altitude of more than 24 kilometers (14 miles) and hit targets up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) away.

Each unit requires about 90 troops to operate.

Why is Germany facilitating this deal?

The deal comes as German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is heading to Washington to meet with US defense officials.

There, he's expected to discuss the details of the deal with defense secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as the US-NATO relationship.

He will also discuss what the new administration's position is on an agreement brokered under Biden to deploy US long-range missile systems in Germany next year.

The visit comes amid Germany's ongoing campaign to support Ukraine, particularly in view of the reduction of US support since Trump returned to the White House.

Taurus vs. Patriot

While Germany has agreed to pay for US Patriot systems to Ukraine, Pistorius confirmed in an interview with The Financial Times that it wouldn’t send long-range Taurus missiles to support the war effort.

The Taurus KEPD 350 is a joint German-Swedish cruise missile that is deployed from aircraft. While Patriots can hit targets within 160 kilometers (about 100 miles) and are launched from the ground, Taurus, as a long-range system, has a far greater range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles).

In the past, German Chancellor Frederich Merz had indicated support for sending Taurus systems for Ukraine to use. However, Germany has since switched its narrative to providing Ukraine support to develop its own long-range capabilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently warned Germany against providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles.

What missile systems has Ukraine used?

As well as previous supplies of Patriots, Ukraine has used a range of weapons to combat Russian attacks. These include short-range air defense systems, such as Russian-made Buks and S-300s, old-generation US-made Hawk missiles, and modern SAM systems like  NASAMS.

It has also used US-made ATACMS missiles, which have a 300-kilometer (186-mile) range, following Biden lifting a ban on their use in the final months of his presidential term last year.

How did Russia react?

The Kremlin previously warned the Biden administration not to send Patriot systems to Ukraine.

Trump's announcement comes amid a seemingly diminished relationship between him and Putin. Despite several calls between the two leaders, Trump has so far been unable to bring an end to Russia's war against Ukraine.

Coinciding with the Patriot announcement, Trump said he was "very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said… He'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that."

In response to Trump's announcement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the announcement showed the US continued to be involved in the conflict, despite the transactional arrangement.

"Now it seems that these supplies will be paid for by Europe, some will be paid for, some will not," Peskov said, "The fact remains that the supply of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment from the United States continued and continues to Ukraine."

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp

This article was updated on July 14, 2025 to reflect new developments.