“I will have that settled prior to taking the White House as president-elect,” said Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee in the U.S. election.
Ukraine’s Western allies have been working to secure long-term assistance for Kyiv amid fears that Trump’s potential reelection could curtail U.S. support. The Biden administration last week extended long-term security guarantees to Ukraine. That followed congressional approval in April of more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine.
And NATO countries last week moved forward with a plan for the alliance to take over from the U.S. in coordinating military aid to Ukraine, a shift widely perceived as an effort to “Trump-proof” the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday announced a $1.5 billion aid package for Ukraine, focused primarily on the energy sector and humanitarian assistance. Harris unveiled the package at a two-day Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland.
Natalie Allison and Stuart Lau contributed reporting.
