Trump promises to send more weapons to Ukraine, Medvedev believes no need to react to Trump's contradictory statements

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW. July 8 (Interfax) - U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will send more weapons to Ukraine.

"We have to send more weapons because they [Ukraine] have to be able to defend themselves," Trump said at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He said Ukraine was hit "very, very hard" by Russia.

The shipment will consist of "defensive weapons, primarily," Trump said.

He described the Ukraine conflict as "a horrible thing."

"I'm stopping wars," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that the Pentagon would make a shipment of defensive weapons to Ukraine on Trump's orders.

"At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace," Parnell said.

The U.S. system of the presidential evaluation of military supplies abroad "remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities," he said.

Politico said for its part that the shipment might follow meetings of U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Italy and in Kiev. For instance, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg is due to meet with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Umerov at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on July 10-11 and in Kiev in the near future.

In turn, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said there was no need to react to Trump's contradictory statements.

He gave several examples of Trump's comments on his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying at first that he was pleased and then that he was disappointed. Medvedev also recalled Trump's statements on the plans to supply weapons to Ukraine and to suspend such shipments.

"How should we react to this? The same way as before. The same way our soldiers do. The same way the supreme commander-in-chief does. In no way," Medvedev said.

He added that they should "continue to achieve special military operation goals."