Speaking at the White House on August 25, President Donald Trump emphasized: "We no longer pay Ukraine. In fact, the opposite is true. They make the request through NATO, and we work with NATO, not directly with Ukraine. NATO pays us enough and they do whatever they want.
Mr. Trump accused US governments of previously leaving Washington "afraid" of spending up to $ 350 billion on Ukraine. He even mocked President Volodymyr Zelensky: I do not blame Ukraine. If they ask for 100 billion USD and are still granted it, it is unbelievable. Zelensky is probably the best salesman I have ever met."
Mr. Trump affirmed that the US only plays a supporting role in security commitments with Kiev, while Europe has to take the lead. Meanwhile, Ukraine and European countries have called for security guarantees similar to NATOs Article 5, which is a collective defense commitment if Ukraine is attacked. According to the Financial Times, Kiev has asked European countries to spend up to $100 billion to buy US weapons.
Previously, US Vice President J.D. Vance also announced that Washington would no longer provide direct aid to Kiev, while Finance Minister Scott Bessent revealed that Europe would have to pay an additional 10% of the difference in fees when purchasing weapons from the US.
Mr Trump has repeatedly affirmed that Ukraine is unlikely to join NATO, and that the capture of the Crimean peninsula is impossible.
Russia continues to warn that the Western weapons supply to Ukraine will only prolong the conflict and turn NATO into a direct combat side. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that collective security in Europe "cannot be resolved without Russia" and affirmed that Moscow will "rade up to protect legitimate interests".
