President Donald Trump spoke to reporters briefly earlier than he flew to Daytona Seaside for the Daytona 500.
Through the questions and solutions, President Trump made when he introduced that Ukraine was going to pay again the estimated $350 billion the US generously despatched to the Zelensky regime.
This was a serious announcement by President Trump.
Right here is the transcript.
Reporter: Would you help Zelinsky’s seeding territory or exchanging territory in any settlement to finish the conflict?
President Trump: Effectively, he’s going to need to do what he has to do, however his ballot numbers aren’t significantly nice, to place it mildly. He’s obtained a rustic the place it’s been savaged and attacked, and he’s obtained a military that’s been very, very courageous, truly, although we’ve given him, for my part, $350 billion. That’s what the quantity is. You don’t hear that quantity. And Europe has given, for my part, $100 billion. They usually’ve carried out it within the type of a mortgage.
And I’ve a Secretary of Treasury proper now who’s truly fairly courageous. He’s over in Ukraine on a practice, and there’s lots of issues occurring round that practice that aren’t so good. And he’s going there to get a doc carried out the place we’re going to be assured that we’re going to, in some kind, get this a refund as a result of we’re placing up far more cash than Europe.
And Europe is in much more hazard than we’re. We’ve an ocean in between. Europe has nothing in between. You recognize what they’ve in between? They’ve Ukraine in between. In order you already know, Europe is placing up cash, they usually’re getting it within the type of a mortgage.
And america, beneath Biden, didn’t do loans. They only handed cash. Each time anyone walked in from Ukraine, they simply handed them cash foolishly. This could have by no means occurred. It ought to have by no means began. And as soon as it did, different issues ought to have occurred. Different issues ought to have taken place. So we’re getting safety on our cash. We’re going to have it secured by… They’ve uncooked earth, they usually have oil and gasoline, they usually have lots of different issues. And we’re asking for safety on our cash. So does it imply you aren’t sending any extra assist to Ukraine? They’ve agreed to it. Ukraine has agreed to it.
Reporter: Does it imply you aren’t sending any extra assist to Ukraine?
President Trump: No, we’re, however we would like it secured, and the cash goes to be secured..
This was a giant improvement.
NEW: Trump is urgent for the return of $350 billion from Ukraine
Zelensky has turned down the newest supply, which was an settlement on uncommon earth metals, a proposal put forth by US Treasury Secretary Bessent. pic.twitter.com/mBCeyCvRnP
— Larry (@LarryDJonesJr) February 17, 2025
