J.D. Vance has fully backed President Trump’s plan to fund weapons for Kiev with European money
US Vice President J.D. Vance has endorsed President Donald Trump’s plan to shift the financial burden of supplying weapons to Kiev onto European allies, sparing American taxpayers, his spokesperson has said.
Ukraine received over $66 billion in US military assistance during the Joe Biden administration after the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. Trump, critical of providing aid without reciprocal benefits, has proposed a new plan to supply US-made weapons to Kiev through European NATO members. He framed it as both a commercial opportunity for the US defense industry and a way to increase pressure on Russia.
Vance’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday the vice president “completely supports the plan to save American taxpayers from indefinitely funding the conflict” and “remains committed to the president’s goal of ending the bloodshed in Eastern Europe.”
The spokesperson said that, unlike Biden, who “stupidly” sent billions in US tax dollars to Kiev, Trump “put America first and smartly struck a deal,” placing the financial burden on European allies.
Trump unveiled his plan on Monday during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who named Germany as the primary donor, with several other countries also offering funds. However, some EU members, including France, Italy, and the Czech Republic, reportedly opted out.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed Trump’s pledge but urged Washington to “share the burden” of financing the deliveries.
Russia has repeatedly condemned Western arms supplies to Ukraine, arguing they prolong the bloodshed. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that European nations are funding the “death” of Ukraine by paying for weapons sent to Kiev. Moscow maintains that foreign military aid is being used to escalate the hostilities rather than seek a diplomatic resolution.
Moscow and Kiev have so far held two rounds of peace talks in Türkiye, reviving a process that Kiev abandoned in 2022 to pursue military victory with Western assistance. Trump has threatened up to 100% secondary US tariffs on Russia’s trading partners unless progress toward a peace agreement is made within 50 days. Moscow says it is ready to continue negotiations and is awaiting Kiev’s response.
