He’s sending Kyiv Patriot air defenses, but he’s building himself an off-ramp

President Trump’s decision to send more Patriot air-defenses to Ukraine was the right call. Supporters of Kyiv’s struggle against Moscow hope this signals renewed commitment from the White House to back Ukraine with U.S. military assistance. Maybe.

Unfortunately, Mr. Trump seems more interested in extricating himself from Ukraine, diplomatically and militarily. And his decision highlights larger concerns about America’s lackluster defense spending and its economic readiness to boost military production.

Optimists about Mr. Trump’s Ukraine intentions cite three points: his decision to authorize the Patriots; his 50-day deadline for Russia to accept a cease-fire; and his threat of tariffs and secondary sanctions against Russia if no cease-fire emerges. But these points don’t necessarily signal Mr. Trump’s newfound support for Ukraine. Instead, they underline Mr. Trump’s misery at remaining ensnarled in the Ukraine-Russia conflict—a war he sees as Europe’s.

Reports that Mr. Trump would send long-range missiles to Ukraine proved incorrect. And the Patriot decision, while justifiably welcomed by Kyiv, is only temporary. As Mr. Trump declared July 15, “You know the side I’m on? Humanity’s side.”

Faced with potential shortages in U.S. air-defense stockpiles, Mr. Trump’s clearest course would have been to send Patriots to Ukraine while telling Congress to fund more air-defense production urgently. He could have stressed that Patriots were needed most in Ukraine, and the unhappy trade-off proved why Congress must pass immediate, dramatic funding increases for them and other air-defenses. Moreover, he could have pointed to how his successful strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June used 14 of our 20-to-30 bunker-buster bombs, revealing a shortage in critical U.S. munitions.

He did nothing of the kind. He was defensive, not proud, and purely transactional. He stressed that Washington isn’t giving Kyiv anything, only manufacturing Patriots and getting paid for them by NATO allies who pass them—or previously delivered Patriots—to Ukraine. This is foolish, as if the finances somehow outweighed the decision’s geostrategic benefits to America.

This article was originally published on June 21, 2025. To continue reading, please click here.