Former American President Donald Trump on Feb. 14 said the U.S. should provide funding to Ukraine as loans, which Kyiv would be expected to pay back.
As the Republican Party's most likely nominee for the upcoming 2024 presidential election, Trump's increasing influence over the party thwarted previous attempts to pass additional funding for Ukraine.
The Senate passed the $95 billion funding request, including assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, earlier this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not put it to a vote in the lower chamber, as Trump is fueling opposition against the bill among Republicans.
Johnson argued that the proposal needs to include provisions on southern border security, even though he and Trump helped kill an earlier proposal that included similar measures.
"They want to give them $60 billion more," Trump said in North Charleston as he continues to campaign during the presidential primaries.
"Do it this way. Loan them the money. If they can make it, they pay us back. If they can't make it, they don't have to pay us back."
"Why should you just hand it over to them? Do it as the form of a loan," he added.
The ex-president has long criticized the U.S. aid to Ukraine, a position in line with his "America First" foreign policy views. He has claimed that he would be able to negotiate peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, although he did not elaborate on concrete steps to achieve this.
Trump also raised concerns among NATO allies when he said he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell it wants" to members who do not meet the 2% defense spending mark.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
