President Donald Trump will announce a new plan to arm Ukraine on 14 July that is expected to include offensive weapons, marking a significant policy shift from his previous stance of providing only defensive equipment, Axios reported on 14 July, citing two sources with knowledge of the plans.

Two sources told Axios they had reason to believe the plan was likely to include long-range missiles that could reach targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow. However, neither was aware of any final decision.

The new initiative, which will be rolled out in a meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, will involve European countries paying for US-made weapons that will be sent to Ukraine.

The announcment came after Putin expressed his disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Putin’s unwillingness to move towards a ceasefire and Russia’s escalating attacks on Kyiv and other cities. Putin reportedly said Trump during their phone call on 3 July that Moscow plans to escalate military operations in eastern Ukraine within the next 60 days, “securing the full administrative borders of occupied Ukrainian oblasts.”

“He wants to take all of it,” Trump reportedly told French President Emmanuel Macron after the call, according to Axios sources familiar with the discussion.

“Trump is really pissed at Putin. His announcement tomorrow is going to be very aggressive,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios.

Trump’s criticism of Putin marked a shift in tone, with the US president expressing doubt about whether the Russian leader “seeks peace” and saying Putin speaks “a lot of nonsense.”

Origins of the plan

The scheme was proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the NATO summit two weeks ago. US and Ukrainian officials said the meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the summit was their best so far.

“Zelenskyy came like a normal human being, not crazy, and was dressed like a somebody that should be at NATO. He had a group of people with him that also seemed not crazy. So they had a good conversation,” a US official told Axios.

Zelenskyy wore a suit at the summit for the first time since 2022. The statement came after US officials criticized Zelenskyy for wearing military fatigues instead of a suit during his February 2025 Oval Office meeting.

Patriot systems and European funding

Trump told on 13 July, according to Reuters, that the weapons he would send Ukraine through European countries would include “various pieces of very sophisticated military (equipment),” including Patriot air defense batteries.

“European countries are going to pay us 100% for them. It is going to be business for us,” Trump said.

Sending offensive weapons would be a major shift for Trump, who had until recently said he would provide only defensive weapons to avoid escalating the conflict. T

he move comes after a halt on shipments that included missiles for Patriots, the US-made air defense systems that are currently protecting millions of Ukrainian civilians from Russia’s increasingly massive daily aerial attacks.