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🇰🇷 South Korea /Conflict & Security

Trump Says Europe Should Repay Billions for Weapons Given to Ukraine Under Biden

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • President Donald Trump said the United States would seek reimbursement from European countries for weapons and ammunition supplied to Ukraine without charge under President Joe Biden.
  • Trump claimed that hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid had been provided to Ukraine and NATO and argued that Europe should have paid the cost.
  • He did not specify which countries would be billed or how, while saying the United States had near-unlimited ammunition supplies despite reports of declining stocks during the war with Iran.

President Donald Trump says Europe should pay retroactively for weapons and ammunition the United States gave Ukraine free of charge during Joe Biden’s administration. He made the claim as concerns grew that a prolonged war with Iran was rapidly reducing U.S. stocks of precision-guided weapons and air-defense interceptors.

The Biden administration gave Ukraine much more ammunition without receiving any payment than we used in Iran.

· Donald TrumpTrump compared aid provided to Ukraine with U.S. ammunition used in the war with Iran.

In a post on Truth Social on Sept. 3, Trump said the Biden administration had supplied Ukraine with far more ammunition at no cost than the United States had used in Iran. He claimed that “hundreds of billions of dollars” had been given free of charge to Ukraine and NATO, and said Europe should have borne the expense. “Though somewhat late, we will demand that money,” he wrote.

Trump did not explain which European countries would face the request or what form the payment would take. The United States and NATO have operated the Ukraine Prioritized Requirements List system since last year, allowing European countries to fund U.S.-made weapons supplied to Ukraine. Trump’s statement appeared to extend that arrangement to military aid already delivered without charge under Biden.

Hundreds of billions of dollars were given free of charge to Ukraine and NATO, and that was money Europe should have paid.

· Donald TrumpTrump argued that European countries should cover the cost of earlier military assistance.

Trump also attacked reports that the Iran war was depleting U.S. ammunition stocks, calling them “treasonous garbage.” He said the United States had “virtually unlimited supplies of medium- and high-grade ammunition” and was producing ammunition at unprecedented levels while building reserves for every emergency.

Though somewhat late, we will demand that money.

· Donald TrumpTrump said the United States would seek reimbursement, without specifying the mechanism.

He added that the United States was currently keeping ammunition for its own use rather than selling it to other countries, but would soon resume sales to allies. The comment suggested that the prolonged conflict with Iran had led Washington to limit weapons supplies and sales to allied countries.

We have virtually unlimited supplies of medium- and high-grade ammunition.

· Donald TrumpTrump rejected reports that the Iran war was rapidly reducing U.S. ammunition stocks.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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