NEW YORK
\nUS President Donald Trump is considering authorizing new military aid to Ukraine, which would be his first major assistance package since taking office in January, CBS News reported on Saturday, citing sources.
\nMultiple diplomatic sources told CBS News that the potential funding \u201ccould be intended to send a message to Russia\u201d after a surge in drone and missile strikes on Ukraine in recent days. Moscow maintains that its strikes only target military-related facilities.
\nTrump could tap into $3.85 billion in leftover presidential drawdown authority from the Biden administration to aid Ukraine, according to CBS. Alternatively, he could seize roughly $5 billion in frozen Russian assets and redirect it to Ukraine, though neither he nor former President Joe Biden have exercised this option.
\nThe report comes after Trump said he is \u201cunhappy\u201d with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the US president, during their numerous conversations, Putin is \u201cvery nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless\u201d with regard to reaching a ceasefire in the conflict.
\nOn Monday, Trump said the US is \u201cgoing to send some more weapons\u201d to Kiev, mainly \u201cdefensive weapons.\u201d
\nEarlier this month, the Pentagon paused certain weapons deliveries, including Patriot air defense missiles, due to concerns over dwindling US stockpiles. Later, several media outlets reported that the suspension was ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth without first consulting the president or the State Department. The pause has since been lifted and shipments have resumed.
\nKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said it is obvious that the US is continuing the weapons deliveries, and that the aid does not contribute to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
\nMoscow has warned that the Western military assistance only prolongs the conflict without changing the outcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK US President Donald Trump is considering authorizing new military aid to Ukraine, which would be his first major assistance package since taking office in January, CBS News reported on Saturday, citing sources. Multiple diplomatic sources told CBS News that the potential funding \u201ccould be intended to send a message to Russia\u201d after a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-490112","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n