U.S. President Donald Trump hinted today that he will ask European countries to pay Washington for the military aid and ammunition sent to Ukraine in the past, amid the ongoing war with Russia, while his post also appears to imply that sales of military equipment to allied countries will be temporarily suspended.
In his post on the Truth Social platform, Trump denied reports that U.S. ammunition stocks have been severely depleted due to the war in Iran, assuring that the country is ramping up production and replenishing its stockpiles.
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“We’re keeping them for ourselves, the U.S., instead of selling them to others, but sales to our allies will resume soon,” he wrote.
“Hundreds of billions of dollars were given to Ukraine and NATO, for free, but Europe should have paid—if only they had been asked to—but we will demand that money, albeit somewhat belatedly,” he added, accusing the administration of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
Last year, the U.S. and NATO launched the “Priority Needs List for Ukraine,” under which European countries pay to supply Ukraine with American weapons. Last month, Reuters reported that the U.S. Army used a large portion of its stockpile of long-range precision-guided missiles during the war in Iran, raisingconcerns have been raised about the readiness of the armed forces for potential future conflicts.
The wars in Ukraine and Iran—and their economic consequences—are expected to influence the outcome of the November midterm elections, namely, whether the Republicans will retain control of Congress for the coming years.
Today, the price of oil reached a six-week high, following recent U.S. strikes on Iran and Israeli threats against Tehran that are reigniting concerns about supply, while many ships remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attempted to shift the blame onto Kyiv and its recent attacks on Russian energy targets for the rise in oiland natural gas. “We’re going through an energy shock right now because of the war in Ukraine—because, you know, Ukraine decided it wants to blow up Russian energy assets and refined products, creating pressures that are driving up prices worldwide—and the war in Iran,” he told Fox News.
SEE ALSO: J.D. Vance: What’s happening in Iran these past few days “is not a war” | AlphaNews
