At the NATO summit held in The Hague, Netherlands on June 25th, a seemingly emotional Ukrainian female journalist raised a question about whether the United States would provide Patriot missiles. Upon learning that her husband was involved in the conflict in Ukraine, President Trump responded gently, saying, “We will see if we can provide some,” and even wished her good luck.
During the press conference following the NATO summit, Trump noticed the apparent excitement of Myroslava Petsa, a journalist from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and invited her to ask a question. Standing on either side of Trump were Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
After Petsa introduced herself as working for BBC Ukraine News, Trump asked her, “Where are you from?” She replied, “I’m from Ukraine.” Trump responded with, “Oh.”
Petsa continued, “My question to you is, is the United States prepared to sell the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine? We know that Russia is currently heavily bombing Ukraine.”
Trump then asked, “Are you currently living in Ukraine?” She replied, “My husband is there.” Trump immediately said, “Wow, I can tell you are really something.”
Petsa added that she and her children are currently living in Warsaw, Poland; her husband, a soldier, remains in Ukraine for the conflict, desiring her to stay in Warsaw to take care of their children.
In response, Trump said, “Wow, that must be really tough, right? It’s really not easy.” He also asked if she is currently working as a journalist in Warsaw, to which she answered, “Yes.”
Trump then addressed her question, saying, “They (Ukraine) do want those missile defense systems, the Patriots… We will see if we can provide some.”
Trump mentioned the difficulty in acquiring these missiles, as the United States also needs them and has previously provided them to Israel, proving highly effective. Ukraine is particularly interested in acquiring these missiles compared to other defense assets.
Trump further expressed, “This is a very good question. I wish you luck in everything. I can tell it’s really heartbreaking for you.”
Lastly, Trump didn’t forget to send his regards to her husband, saying, “Say hello to your husband for me, okay? Thank you,” before turning to other reporters for more questions.
During the NATO summit, Trump held a discussion on the sidelines with Ukrainian President Zelensky for approximately 45 minutes. After the meeting, Trump indicated that he would consider providing more Patriot missiles to Ukraine to help defend against Russian attacks.
Officials from the Ukrainian presidential office stated that the two leaders also discussed weapon procurement, further sanctions against Russia, among other issues, although specific details were not disclosed.
According to a source from the Ukrainian presidential office cited by Agence France-Presse, Zelensky was “satisfied” with the outcome of the meeting.