The statement underscores the Trump administration’s continued pressure on European allies to share more of the burden related to Ukraine.
In a social media post on Thursday, Trump said hundreds of billions of dollars worth of weapons have been given to Ukraine and NATO free of charge, and Europe should have paid for them. Trump said Washington will seek to recover the money, acknowledging that the issue was being raised relatively late.
He rejected reports that the US arms stockpile is running low because of attacks on Iran. Trump said some ammunition is being held back for US needs rather than being sold abroad, but arms and ammunition sales to allied countries will soon resume.
