Trump signaled an openness to Republican approval of aid to Ukraine, but "in the form of a loan, not a gift"
Kyiv • UNN
Former US President Donald Trump has expressed openness to Republican approval of additional aid to Ukraine in the form of a loan rather than a gift, and called on Europe to provide more financial support to Ukraine.
Former US President and potential Republican candidate in this year's election, Donald Trump, on Friday signaled an openness to Republicans approving additional aid for Ukraine if it came in the form of a loan, UNN reports citing The Hill.
We’re looking at it right now, and they’re talking about it, and we’re thinking about making it in the form of a loan instead of just a gift
"We keep handing out gifts of billions and billions of dollars, and we’ll take a look at it," Trump continued. "But much more importantly to me is the fact that Europe has to step up, and they have to give money. They have to equalize. If they don’t equalize I’m very upset about it, because they’re affected much more than we are."
For months, Trump has expressed skepticism about U.S. aid to Ukraine, arguing that supporting Ukraine is not a vital American interest and that Europe should provide the bulk of the aid. His views have been influential among his allies in Congress, making it difficult for aid to Ukraine to pass in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, the newspaper writes.
The position of the former U.S. president, as the publication notes, "created a political minefield" for Speaker Johnson.
Addendum
The US Senate last month passed a $95 billion national security funding package, which includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. But Johnson refused to bring the bill to the floor for discussion, as Trump's allies in the House of Representatives oppose providing more aid to Ukraine, the newspaper said.
Johnson has been saying for months that the House would take up the aid issue in a "timely manner," pushing back the timeline for other important issues such as government funding. But last weekend, the speaker narrowed the timeline, announcing that the House would take up Ukraine aid "immediately after" the two-week Easter recess.
Democrats in both chambers have said they are ready to support aid to Ukraine in the form of a loan if it helps break the deadlock, even if it was not their choice from the beginning, the newspaper writes.
