'We are not obliged to help': Trump makes controversial statement and compares Ukraine to Lebanon
Photo: Donald Trump, US President (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump stated that he is not obliged to help Ukraine. He noted that former President Joe Biden did so because he was allegedly deceived, Trump made this statement during a lunch with members of the board of directors of the Trump-Kennedy Center.
"Ukraine is thousands of miles away from us and separated by an ocean. We are not obliged to help them," he said.
In addition, Trump compared Ukraine to Lebanon, which, he added, has become accustomed to bombings.
"They have already got used to Lebanon being bombed. People live in Ukraine too — although you might think they would not live there, but they do. I do not know whether I would do that, but they live there. And in Lebanon, too," the US president said.
Trump also emphasized that he worked with NATO countries regarding Ukraine. Now, he noted, the US does not need to do this.
Aid to Ukraine
Some European officials have expressed concern about possible changes in Donald Trump’s administration policy regarding military support for Ukraine. They suggest that the amount of assistance could be reconsidered.
Against this backdrop, there is growing discussion in Europe about the need to develop its own defense industry.
In particular, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen stated that the region needs its own industrial base for weapons production so that Ukraine can receive air defense systems more quickly.
Meanwhile, political debates continue in the US regarding the format of support. Trump, for example, again stated that Ukraine should receive aid in the form of loans, which he has insisted on before while criticizing former President Joe Biden’s administration.
The EU has already exhausted its own missile supplies for air defense systems while trying to support Ukraine amid ongoing Russian attacks. Further deliveries critically depend on the stability of the global market, which is currently strained due to the operation in Iran.
Additionally, the war in the Middle East may complicate Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian missile attacks. The use of US air defense systems and those of its allies in the region is rapidly depleting interceptor missile stocks.
