US President-elect Donald Trump has told European officials that he plans to continue providing military aid to Ukraine after returning to the White House.
This is reported by the Financial Times, citing informed sources.
Such a move will support allies in Europe who are concerned about their ability to help Ukraine without Washington's participation, the publication notes.
Trump maintains his principled position that Ukraine should not become a member of NATO, but he seeks to end the war as soon as possible, senior representatives of the British intelligence services familiar with the plans of the US President-elect told the FT.
"The supply of weapons to Kyiv after the ceasefire, in Trump's opinion, will ensure the achievement of peace through force," they added.
Trump's team has also informed European allies of the need for a significant increase in defense spending.
"Trump intends to demand that NATO countries raise their spending target from the current 2% to 5% of GDP," two sources said, noting that only 23 of the alliance's 32 members are currently meeting their 2% defense spending commitment.
According to one of the FT's sources, Trump may agree to a compromise in the form of increasing spending to 3.5%, but link it to the offer of more favorable trade terms for the United States.
Politico previously reported that Trump, using his presidential powers, may try to withdraw the United States from NATO, bypassing Congress. However, Trump himself denied such intentions, stating that Washington would remain in the alliance if member countries "pay their bills."
During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly claimed that he would be able to end the war between russia and Ukraine immediately after coming to power. However, he has not yet provided a specific plan for settlement.
According to WSJ sources, his team is just beginning to develop ideas for resolving the conflict. It is known that Trump plans to use a strategy of a double ultimatum: the threat of cutting off military aid to Ukraine if Kyiv refuses to negotiate, and the promise to strengthen Ukraine’s armament if Moscow does not agree to dialogue.
On December 12, Trump spoke out against Ukraine’s use of Western missiles to attack russian territory. Soon he said that he was considering revising the decision of current President Joe Biden, who allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for such strikes.
Trump also suggested that European countries consider the possibility of deploying their troops on the territory of Ukraine to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.
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