President Trump said Monday a proposed economic deal between the U.S. and Ukraine was still on the table, but he argued Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needed to be more “appreciative” of U.S. support.
Trump took questions from reporters on the heels of a confrontational meeting with Zelensky late last week after which Trump called off peace talks and an agreement for the U.S. to invest in Ukraine’s critical mineral supply went unsigned.
Asked if the deal was dead, Trump said, “I don’t think so.”
“It’s a great deal for us, because you know Biden very, very foolishly, stupidly, frankly, gave $300 billion…to a country to fight and to try and do things. And you know what happened? We get nothing.”
Asked what Zelensky needed to do to restart negotiations, Trump said the Ukrainian leader needed to express more gratitude for U.S. assistance.
“I just think he should be more appreciative, because this country has stuck with them through thick and thin,” Trump said. “We’ve given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us because as you know that’s right there.”
As of the end of fiscal 2024, Congress had approved nearly $183 billion in Ukraine aid, according to a federal government oversight office. The European Union has contributed roughly $145 billion in total assistance to Ukraine since the war began.
Trump told reporters he had not yet discussed whether the U.S. would suspend continued aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Trump earlier in the day took issue with Zelensky saying the end of Ukraine’s war with Russia “is still very, very far away.” Moscow invaded Ukraine without provocation more than three years ago.
“He better not be right about that,” Trump said.
Zelensky arrived at the White House on Friday, where he was expected to meet with Trump and sign off on a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical mineral supply. Trump had touted the deal as a way for the U.S. to recoup some of the aid it had provided to Ukraine in its war against Russia, while boosting Ukraine’s economy in the long term.
But after roughly a half-hour of relatively cordial back-and-forth, the meeting devolved into chaos, with Trump and Vice President Vance accusing Zelensky of being ungrateful for U.S. support and of having little leverage in talks.
Trump has pushed for an end to the war in Ukraine, speaking with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He met last week with European allies from France and the United Kingdom, both of whom argued any peace deal had to have guarantees that guarded against future Russian aggression.
