President-elect Donald Trump attends a meeting with Britain’s Prince William (not pictured) at the residence of the British ambassador to France in Paris, on the day of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral after a fire in 2019. President of the United States. France, December 7, 2024.
Aaron Chown | via Reuters
In an exclusive interview with Donald Trump on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, the president-elect told NBC News’ Kristen Welker that Ukraine will “probably” receive less military aid after he takes office. He said it would be.
“We will suffer $350 billion in damage, and Europe will suffer $100 billion in damage. Why isn’t Europe suffering the same damage as us?” President Trump told Welker, He talked about the support he received.
“One of the things that has to happen is that Europe becomes equal,” he added.
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced a $988 million aid package of new arms and equipment to Ukraine to support the ongoing conflict in the wake of the Russian invasion. In total, the United States has pledged more than $62 billion in aid to Ukraine since the conflict began nearly three years ago.
“I think (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy) is probably the greatest salesman that has ever lived in any politician,” President Trump said of the Ukrainian leader in June. The comment suggests that Mr. Zelensky’s diplomatic skills were credited with tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military aid packages, rather than the actual needs of the United States.
Similar to his position during his first term in the White House, President Trump said NATO must “pay its bills” as a condition for the United States to remain part of the military coalition. The president-elect has repeatedly threatened to pull the country out of the NATO alliance, which has been in place since World War II and whose primary mission is to protect against Russia’s growing power.
“Europe is in crisis, and war with Russia is more important to Europe than it is to us,” Trump told Welker. “Between us there is a little thing called the ocean.”
When asked if he had been in contact with President Putin since taking office, President Trump did not deny that he had spoken to the Russian president.
French President Emmanuel Macron (center) walks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) after a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on December 7, 2024.
Julian De Rosa | AFP | Getty Images
The president-elect met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Saturday in a 35-minute meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The three were in Paris for the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been undergoing restoration work since a fire in 2019.
After President Trump met with Zelensky in France, the president-elect took to social media to call for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
“There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin,” President Trump said in a post on his social media platform TruthSocial. He added: “The war should never have started and could last forever.”
Trump has previously said he would broker an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine within his first day in office, praising his strong ties with Putin.
“I know Vladimir well. It’s time for him to act. China will help. The world is waiting!” Trump added in a social media post.
President Trump also emphasized his “excellent relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying the two have been in contact with each other since Trump was elected and as recently as three days before his interview with NBC’s Welker. He said there was.
When asked if he would protect Taiwan if China invaded, President Trump said he hoped China would not do so, but declined to say whether he would ask the United States to intervene, saying, “Things are negotiable.” He said there was a need to do so.
President Trump said that during his recent phone call with President Xi, the topic of Taiwan “didn’t come up.”
The incoming US president also spoke about Russia’s role in the Syrian conflict.
After 13 years of civil war, Syrian rebels announced on Sunday that they had captured the capital Damascus and succeeded in ousting President Bashar al-Assad. There are also reports that the plane on which President Assad departed is missing.
“Assad is gone. He fled the country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was no longer interested in protecting him. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. . They lost.”All the interest in Syria is because of Ukraine,” President Trump added on Truth Social.
