According to the WSJ, Trump surprised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz when he called him after another Russian strike on Ukraine and agreed to sell Kyiv not two, but five Patriot systems at once.
Initially, Merz himself offered Trump the opportunity to buy two air defense systems from the United States after halting aid to Ukraine. Still, he was unaware of the suspension of supplies and was surprised to ask Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A few days later, seeing the consequences of Russia’s new strike on Ukraine, Trump himself called Merz back and agreed to the sale of air defense systems. The Chancellor did not expect that the US president would so quickly “lose patience with Putin” and agree to buy all five Patriot systems at once.
