Trump baselessly slams Starmer, Macron for failing to help Ukraine

 

Trump baselessly slams Starmer, Macron for failing to help Ukraine

 

The French and British leaders “haven’t done anything” to end the war in Ukraine, U.S. president charges in Fox News Radio interview.

 

February 22, 2025 11:03 am CET

By Marianne Gros

https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-slam-emmanuel-macron-keir-starmer-fail-help-ukraine/

 

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer "haven't done anything" to end the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Friday.

 

Trump's assertion, which isn't supported by official data, comes days before the two European leaders are due to make separate visits to the White House.

 

In an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump slammed the French and U.K. leaders for not spending enough to support Kyiv since Russian President Vladimir Putin's all-out invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, amid rising tensions between the European Union and the U.S. over ongoing negotiations to end the war.

 

"Europe is basically giving nothing," Trump said in the interview, while the U.S. is "spending our treasure on some, a country that's very, very far away."

 

But according to Germany’s Kiel Institute, which compiles national contributions to Kyiv’s war effort, both Britain and France have given substantial aid to Ukraine, and Europe as a whole has provided more assistance than the U.S.

 

In total, European governments have allocated €62 billion in military aid to help Ukraine, as well as €70 billion in financial and humanitarian assistance, the Kiel figures show. Washington has allocated €64 billion in military aid and €50 billion in financial and humanitarian aid, according to the institute.

 

The American president said he would be "signing an agreement" to retrieve some $500 billion in U.S. funding, apparently referring to a proposed deal for Ukrainian rare earths and other minerals. Kyiv has balked at the minerals agreement as proposed by Washington, reportedly due to at the lack of adequate security guarantees.

 

In the interview, Trump reversed himself and admitted that Russia launched the full-scale war by attacking Ukraine. Trump on Wednesday blamed Ukraine for causing the conflict, saying Kyiv "should have never started it" and instead should have "made a deal."

 

"Russia attacked, but they shouldn't have let him attack," Trump told Fox News.

 

Earlier this week, some EU leaders gathered in Paris for emergency talks about the war in Ukraine and European security, after Trump spoke with Putin by phone about setting up peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

 

In the Fox interview, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had "no cards" in peace negotiations. Friday's comments came after Trump recently called Zelenskyy "a dictator" and has said Kyiv should call new elections as soon as possible.

 

Macron is expected to meet with Trump in Washington on Monday, while Starmer's visit to the White House is scheduled for Thursday.

 

Amid the criticism, Trump also said he considered Macron as a "friend" and called Starmer a "very nice guy."