Trump says he wants US to ‘get back’ money spent on Ukraine

“Europe has given $100 billion. The United States has given $350 billion because we had a stupid, incompetent president and administration,” he told the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Saturday.

“I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. So, we’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get,” he added.

“So, we’re getting our money back. We’re going to get our money back because it’s not fair. It’s just not fair.”

Since February 2022, the US Congress has appropriated $183 billion for Ukraine, including more than $66 billion in security assistance, according to the Pentagon and Ukraine Oversight, the interagency group tasked with presenting reports to Congress.

Trump has repeatedly stressed that Kiev and its European backers must provide an account about all the funds and has insisted that Zelensky was on a “gravy train” with American money during the Joe Biden administration.

Zelensky, who stated recently that Ukraine would have a “low chance” without American help, has refused to sign a deal that would have granted US companies 50% ownership of the country’s mineral resources. He later argued that any deal must also include concrete security guarantees for Kiev. Trump, for his part, told reporters at the White House that, if signed, the minerals agreement could bring up to $500 billion to the US.

Trump has ramped up his criticism of Zelensky this week, branding him “a dictator without elections” and accusing him of squandering an opportunity to make peace with Russia. He insisted that Ukraine was in no position to complain about being sidelined during the US-Russian talks, which took place in Riyadh on Tuesday.