The push to replenish Ukraine’s arms supply is being coordinated by the bloc’s top diplomat, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and aims to surpass previous European commitments of military aid
European leaders are working on a military aid package for Ukraine — worth at least €20 billion — to bolster Kyiv as the United States increasingly aligns with Moscow. The planned package comes after US President Donald Trump blamed his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for the war in Ukraine, calling him a “dictator” who had tricked the U.S. into spending billions of dollars in military aid. The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives also said Thursday there was “no appetite” in Washington to send further aid to Kyiv.
The amount of European aid, which would include military hardware like artillery shells and missiles as well as cash, could yet rise farther as diplomats continue intensive consultations ahead of a gathering of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. The push to replenish Ukraine’s arms supply is being coordinated by the bloc’s top diplomat, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and aims to surpass previous European commitments of military aid. Diplomats stressed that the aid, which is still being negotiated, would likely come in the form of pooled contributions from individual member states rather than an official EU package, given opposition from certain states, namely Hungary.
The scramble comes as EU officials and leaders prepare for a group expedition to Kyiv on Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As the heads of key EU institutions and the leaders of Spain and the Nordic and Baltic states, among others, prepare to travel to Kyiv, they will be in close contact with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who are heading to Washington to meet with Trump.
Macron’s trip will be a chance for him to share the results of a week’s consultations with other Ukraine allies and to seek a better understanding of the Trump administration’s position.
‘Putin, Zelenskyy have to get together to stop the war’
Meanwhile, Trump called for an end to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, urging Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “get together to stop the war and stop killing millions of people.”
Trump said, “President Putin and President Zelenskyy have to get together because we want to stop the war and stop killing millions of people. I want to see a ceasefire, and I want to get the deal done. It doesn’t affect the US very much since it is on the other side of the ocean; it does affect Europe.”
Trump further expressed concern over the financial burden on the United States, which has contributed USD 300 billion to the conflict, compared to Europe’s USD 100 billion and criticised former President Joe Biden for involving the US in the war.
He added, “We have put in much more money. We are in for USD 300 billion, and they (Europe) are in for USD 100 billion. Biden just gave them money, there was no loan or security. We have to sign a deal to get security. We are spending our treasure on a country that is very far away. We have to be treated the same way Europe is being treated. Biden should have never gotten us into this mess…” Trump had accused Zelenskyy of persuading the United States to invest billions of dollars in a war he believed could not be won, questioning the allocation of resources and Europe’s lack of equal financial contribution. Trump also called Zelenskyy a dictator without elections.
Sharing a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion dollars, to go into a war that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a war that he, without the US and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle.”
The post added, “The United States has spent $200 billion dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn’t sleepy Joe Biden demand equalization, in that this war is far more important to Europe than it is to us — We have a big, beautiful ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is “MISSING.” He refuses to have elections, is very low in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden “like a fiddle.” A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”
Trump further asserted that only his administration could have successfully negotiated an end to the war with Russia. While expressing his support for Ukraine, Trump emphasised that Zelenskyy’s poor management has led to a “shattered” country and millions of unnecessary deaths.
