RT reported that President-elect Donald Trump announced that he “may” cut US aid to Ukraine after taking office.
In an interview with NBC News on December 8, Mr. Trump replied: “Possibly. Probably,” and called on Ukraine to prepare for the possibility of receiving less aid from the US when asked about policies.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump claimed that Ukraine had lost about 400,000 soldiers since 2022, a figure much higher than figures released by Ukraine or its Western allies. He also estimated that Russia had suffered 600,000 casualties, a figure the Kremlin dismissed as disinformation used by Kiev for propaganda purposes.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, but has not provided details on how to do so.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the idea of a “quick deal” and stressed that Kiev would only accept a ceasefire based on its own demands, which include Russia restoring the 1991 border with Ukraine, paying reparations and putting Russian officials on trial in an international court.
Russia immediately dismissed these demands as “fantasy.” The Kremlin also stressed that Ukraine must cease military operations and recognize the current “territorial realities,” including Russia’s control of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea regions.
According to statistics from the Pentagon, the US has allocated a total of $131.36 billion in aid to Ukraine since February 2022, of which about $90 billion has been disbursed.
On December 2, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a $725 million military aid package for Ukraine, including weapons such as Stinger missiles, HIMARS munitions and anti-personnel mines - a type of weapon that the US has stopped exporting for years due to concerns about the potential harm to civilians.
This move is seen as an effort by outgoing President Joe Biden to increase support for Ukraine before leaving office in January 2025, in the context that President-elect Donald Trump may change the US strategy towards the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
