'But they are getting hit very very hard. So many people are dying in that mess.'
Donald Trump has promised to send more weapons to Ukraine after Russia turned down White House calls for a ceasefire and peace talks.
The US president said Ukraine is being ‘hit very hard now’ by the Kremlin’s missile and drone strikes,some of which hit the capital Kyiv just hours after he got off the phone with Vladimir Putin.
Recent Russian strikes have relentlessly hit civilian targets,with residential buildings among those destroyed or seriously damaged by fire.
Officials said on Monday that the latest attacks killed at least 11 civilians and injured more than 80 others,including seven children.
Speaking to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday,Trump said of the situation in Ukraine: ‘We’re gonna send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves.
‘They are getting hit very hard now. They are getting hit very hard.
Firefighters tackle a fire at a building hit by a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia,Ukraine,on Monday (Picture: AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)
‘We’re gonna have to send more weapons – defensive weapons primarily.
‘But they are getting hit very very hard. So many people are dying in that mess.’
Russia launched more than 2,300 drones and missiles at Ukraine in June,a 30% increase on the month before.
There were 278 civilian deaths in Ukraine last month,the highest monthly toll since 2023.
Donald Trump said ‘so many people are dying’ in Ukraine
In response to the harrowing figures,Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: ‘Russia is deliberately targeting civilians – maternity wards,schools,homes – every night.’
Trump’s announcement comes following concerns he is being too friendly with Putin,and just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
The Pentagon said last week it would hold back delivering some air defence missiles,precision-guided artillery and other weapons due to concerns that stockpiles declined too much.
But a Pentagon spokesperson said on Monday: ‘At President Trump’s direction,the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops.’
A recruitment centre damaged after a drone attack in Kharkiv on Monday (Picture: SERGEY BOBOK/AFP)
Trump previously threatened,but held off on,imposing new sanctions against Russia’s oil industry to try to encourage Putin to take part in peace talks.
Senator Lindsey Graham said last week that Trump gave him the go-ahead to push forward with a bill that calls,in part,for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil.
The move would have huge ramifications for China and India,two economic giants that buy Russian oil.
‘I’m not happy with President Putin at all,’ Trump said on Monday.
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