After meeting in Paris

Trump: Ukraine aid will “probably” be cut

Donald Trump has hinted that the US could scale back its support for Ukraine.(Bild: AFP)

Following the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, Ukraine must prepare for a reduction in US aid. In an interview with NBC broadcast on Sunday, the Republican described it as "likely" that the USA will reduce aid to the country. 

When asked whether his government would make cuts to its support for Ukraine, Trump replied: "Possibly. Yes, probably, certainly."

Most important supporter against Russia
The USA is the most important supporter of Ukraine in the defensive war against Russia. The interview with NBC was conducted on Friday, the day before Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Paris on Saturday.

Trump and Selensky met with Macron in Paris on Saturday.(Bild: AFP)

After the meeting in Paris, Trump called for an "immediate ceasefire" on his online service Truth Social and appealed to Kiev and Moscow to enter into negotiations. "Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and end the madness", Trump explained. If the war continues, "it could turn into something much bigger and much worse".

Deal with Russia?
During the election campaign, Trump had expressed his opposition to the billions in aid for Ukraine and declared that he would end the war within a day if he won the election before taking office on 20 January. According to critics, the deal he is seeking with Russia could lead to Ukraine being forced to give up a number of the territories occupied by Russia.

Trump threatens to withdraw from NATO
Trump also caused trouble once again when it came to NATO. He once again threatened to withdraw the USA from the alliance if the other allies do not spend more on defense. "They have to pay their bills", Trump said in an interview with NBC News published on Sunday. He added that he would "absolutely" consider withdrawing the US from the military alliance if NATO allies did not treat the US "fairly".