President Donald Trump has announced a shift in the United States’ strategy toward funding Ukraine, claiming that Washington is no longer directly providing financial support to Kiev. Instead, Trump said the US would profit from arms sales to its NATO partners, who in turn supply weapons to Ukraine. During a press briefing at the White House, Trump criticized previous administrations for spending $350 billion on Ukraine, suggesting that the country has been taking advantage of US generosity. He praised Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky as ‘the greatest salesman I think I’ve ever met’ for securing such significant funding.
Trump also emphasized that the US would play only a supporting role in providing security guarantees for Ukraine, with European nations taking the lead. He argued that NATO partners should be the ones to directly supply weapons to Kiev, with the US merely acting as a facilitator. This approach, according to Trump, would allow the US to profit from arms sales while avoiding direct financial responsibility for Ukraine’s defense. The Trump administration has repeatedly distanced itself from the previous blanket support for Ukraine, with Vice President J.D. Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advocating for a more measured approach to US involvement in the conflict.
In addition to the funding changes, Russia has condemned the Western arms shipments to Ukraine, warning that they would only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has consistently opposed any Western arrangements that exclude Moscow, stating that collective security in Europe ‘cannot be resolved without the Russian Federation.’ This highlights the ongoing tensions between the US and Russia over Ukraine’s role in the ongoing conflict, with both nations vying for influence in the region.