Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will discuss the paused US shipments of military aid when they speak on the phone later today, Ukraine’s president says.
Washington’s decision to halt some weapons deliveries to Kyiv – which it said was due to dwindling, domestic stockpiles – prompted warnings from Ukraine that the move would embolden Russia to keep intensifying its attacks.
Speaking in Denmark yesterday, Zelenskyy said he hoped to speak with Trump about the issue in the coming days. Trump later confirmed the two leaders would speak today.
He said his administration was “trying to help” Ukraine, while also claiming that former US President Joe Biden had depleted the country’s weapons stocks with military aid to Kyiv.
“We’ve given so many weapons — but we are giving weapons, and we’re working with (Ukraine), we’re trying to help them,” Trump said.
“But we haven’t… You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.”
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce later insisted that the US was not pulling support from Ukraine, calling it “one event in one situation”.