Trump reiterates false claim that US spent more on Russia-Ukraine conflict than Europe
Washington DC [US], February 25 (ANI): US President Donald Trump in a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron said that the US is spending much more money on the war in Ukraine than other countries in Europe on Monday (local time), CNN reported.
"The United States has put up far more aid for Ukraine than any other nation," Trump said at a joint news conference with Macron, as per CNN.
"We've spent more than USD 300 billion, and Europe has spent about 100 --USD 100 billion. That's a big difference and at some point, we should equalize," he said.
However, CNN stated that the claim by Trump was incorrect. In fact, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank that closely tracks wartime aid to Ukraine, the European Union and individual European countries had collectively committed far more total wartime military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine through December (about USD 258 billion) than the US had committed (about USD 124 billion).
Europe had also allocated more military, financial and humanitarian aid (about USD 138 billion) than the US had allocated (about USD 119 billion).
The US did have a slim lead in one particular category, military aid allocated, providing about USD 67 billion to about USD 65 billion for Europe. But even that was nowhere close to the gap Trump described, as per CNN.
The two leaders also participated in a call with G7 summit leaders.
Macron's visit to the White House today comes on the third year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European leaders are rushing to try to reclaim a central role for themselves and for Ukraine after they were cut out of US-Russia talks on ending the war.
Trump had also said that Ukraine could "perhaps" recover some of its Russia-occupied land, but said that it is not an "easy thing to do."
"That's not an easy thing to do," Trump told reporters who asked whether Ukraine could take back the land it has lost during three years at war. "I say that, yeah, perhaps some of it," he said in the Oval Office while Macron sat beside him.
"I hope so," Trump added, before saying "It's going to be something we will be talking about," referring to Macron. (ANI)
(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)
