EU leaders hit back at Trump over aid to Ukraine

"Don't let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin intimidate us. We are not like that... Tell the truth. The numbers speak for themselves. The EU's contribution to Ukraine: 143 billion euros (150 billion USD)," Mr. Michel wrote in a post to Mr. Trump on social network X on April 19, according to AFP.

European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels (Belgium) on April 18

Trump on April 18 called on Europe to "take action" to support Ukraine, as US lawmakers are expected to vote on a $61 billion aid package for Kyiv this weekend.

"As everyone agrees, Ukraine's survival and strength is far more important to Europe than it is to us, but it is important to us too! Get on with it Europe," Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social.

Mr. Trump questioned: "Why is the United States spending $100 billion more on the war in Ukraine than Europe, and there is an ocean between us? Why can't Europe spend as much as the United States to help a country in desperate need?"

Despite not holding office, the former US President still has great influence over many Republican lawmakers in Washington DC, who have delayed new military aid to Ukraine. This group's stance is to prioritize the campaign against illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border.

The deadlock in the US Congress has left Ukraine increasingly short of ammunition and defense systems, causing it to suffer significant setbacks in its more than two-year-old war with Russia.

The German-based Kiel Institute, which tracks aid to Ukraine, said that as of early this year, the European Union (EU) and its member states were Kyiv's biggest donors with 144.1 billion euros in pledges, followed by the United States with 67.7 billion euros.

However, the EU has only allocated 77.2 billion euros because most of the commitments span several years.

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