President Trump has long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin, and after taking office in January repeatedly said that Russia was more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal.

Trump said the United States would put 100% secondary tariffs on countries that do business with Russia if a deal if a peace deal is not reached in 50 days.

The Patriot surface-to-air missile system has become one of Ukraine's most important platforms during Russia's full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022. Since 2023, Patriots in Ukraine have been used to down drones, ballistic missiles and Russian aircraft.