In an exclusive interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump said Ukraine will “possibly” receive less military aid once he takes office. This stance is similar to his first term in the White House, where he stated that NATO needs to “pay their bills” as a condition of the US remaining part of the military coalition.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that within a day of taking office, he would broker an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, crediting his strong ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, it’s unclear whether this will actually happen.
During the interview, Trump expressed frustration with Europe’s contribution to Ukraine’s aid package, saying “Europe is in for a fraction” compared to the US. He also stated that war with Russia is more important for Europe than it is for the US, noting that there’s an ocean between them.
Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a ceremony in Paris on Saturday and later called for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations on his social media platform Truth Social. However, his views on NATO and military aid have sparked concern among lawmakers and diplomats.
The US has committed over $62 billion to Ukraine since the conflict began nearly three years ago, with a new $988 million aid package announced by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin just days before Trump’s interview.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/08/president-elect-trump-says-ukraine-to-possibly-receive-less-military-aid.html