Trump Claims Progress in Resolving Conflict
The American president said progress is being made in negotiations but refused to supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles, sparking strong reactions in Ukrainian media.
The American president said progress is being made in negotiations but refused to supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles, sparking strong reactions in Ukrainian media.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that progress is being made in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, his remarks about being unconcerned about attacks on Kyiv and his refusal to supply interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems have drawn sharp reactions in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the White House in Washington on August 6, 2026, Trump said that efforts are underway to resolve the conflict and that he believes progress is being made. "You know, we're working on it, and I think we're making progress. I've solved eight wars. I thought this might be one of the easier ones, but it turned out to be the hardest. But progress is being made," the American leader said, as reported by the Russian state agency TASS. However, Trump did not specify what kind of progress he was referring to.
When asked by a journalist whether he was concerned about Russia intensifying attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, Trump replied that the US is not involved in that conflict. "Listen, we're not involved in it. We're separated by an ocean. But I hate to see young people dying," Trump was quoted as saying by the Telegram channel RVvoenkor.
When the journalist mentioned that Kyiv's leader Vladimir Zelensky claims his country urgently needs missiles for Patriot systems, Trump responded: "We need them too. Biden handed over combat equipment worth $300 billion to Ukraine. When I left, our warehouses were full, and now we're replenishing them."
According to the Financial Times, Trump refused to supply hundreds of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems during a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky. Russian legislator Viktor Vodolatsky told TASS on August 7, 2026, that the reason for this was to protect the image of the American military-industrial complex.
"The Patriot system doesn't work very well against our weapons systems. To avoid damaging the image of the military-industrial complex, the US decided not to give Ukraine these systems because they are ineffective against Russian weapons. That would deal a very heavy blow to the image of the American weapons lobby," Vodolatsky said. He added that the US itself needs interceptor missiles to protect its own interests in the Middle East.
Trump's statements have sparked strong reactions in Ukrainian media. "Trump has a stuck record. Call the medics," RVvoenkor reports comments from leading Ukrainian media outlets, which have sharply criticized the American president's stance.
