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U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 24, 2025.
From the UN to the Oval Office, US-Europe relations fissure
Meanwhile, France’s President Emmanuel Macron met with Donald Trump in Washington on Monday in an attempt to realign to US and Europe. During the meeting, Trump declined to label Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator and incorrectly claimed that the US has spent three times more than Europe to support Ukraine.
Setting the record straight on funding: European countries, including the EU, have collectively exceeded America’s support, providing $138 billion in allocated aid compared to America’s $119 billion (though America maintains a slight edge in military assistance). When factoring in additional pending commitments, Europe’s lead increases further. However, nearly 90% of EU institutional financial support consists of loans (albeit with very favorable terms), while approximately 60% of American financial aid has been delivered as outright grants.
Excluding loans, the US has given $50.9 billion in aid to Ukraine, according to economists at the University of California Berkeley – or 0.25% of the federal budget in 2024, roughly what is spent on energy and maintenance for federal buildings.
Will Trump visit Moscow? Trump told Macron that he may visit Russia if peace negotiations succeed – which he suggested could happen within a matter of weeks. The visit would be the first for an American president in over 10 years and would be a boon for Putin on the global stage. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also expected to meet with Trump in Washington on Thursday to discuss Ukraine’s security.