Bangladesh, July 14 -- In a notable shift from his previously ambiguous stance on continued military support for Ukraine, US President and 2024 Republican frontrunner Donald Trump confirmed plans to send Patriot air defense systems to the embattled Eastern European nation. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on the evening of July 13, Trump cited recent Russian airstrikes as justification for the move and framed the delivery of missile defense systems as a matter of strategic necessity and economic opportunity.

Trumps remarks were characteristically direct and delivered in a tone of both frustration and assertiveness. “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” he stated, referencing the US-made surface...