Trump says US is giving Ukraine too much support, as new skeptical Republicans take office and swing control of the House
- Former President Donald Trump said the US is giving Ukraine too much aid in its fight against Russia.
- The new Republican House majority will likely try to more closely monitor Ukraine aid.
Former President Donald Trump renewed criticisms of NATO on Monday, and said that the US is giving Ukraine too much aid in its fight against Russia's invasion.
"The good old USA "suckers" are paying a VAST majority of the NATO bill, & outside money, going to Ukraine. VERY UNFAIR!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump has long griped about the amount of money the US spends on foreign defense commitments, and has backed "America First" isolationist policies.
Trump's comments come as newly-elected Republicans are set to be sworn in to take control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, with the party having claimed a narrow majority in the midterm elections last year.
Some of Trump's congressional allies have previously echoed his comments on Ukraine, calling for tighter monitoring of the billions in aid the US provides Ukraine.
To date, the US has been by far Ukraine's most important international backer, having provided $48 billion in humanitarian and military assistance as Ukraine pushes back against Russia's invasion.
As president, Trump frequently claimed that NATO allies were taking advantage of the US financially, while failing to meet the 2-percent-of-GDP defense spending guidelines the alliance agreed to in 2014.
At the same time, he frequently praised Russia's authoritarian President Vladimir Putin during his time in office, and used US aid to Ukraine as leverage as he sought to pressure the country's president to criticize Joe Biden, Trump's then presidential election rival.
The pressure campaign resulted in Trump's first impeachment, where he was acquitted on charges of abuse of power.
At a 2022 Heritage Foundation event, Trump claimed he had told NATO allies while president that the US would provide no support to them if Russia attacked, as part of a ploy to extract higher defense spending.