Last Updated:
Donald Trump also said that the EU was formed to “screw with the US” after holding his first cabinet meeting with Elon Musk alongside him.
US President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC. (IMAGE: AFP)
US President Donald Trump said “Ukraine can forget about joining NATO” on Wednesday after he held his cabinet meeting with billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk also in attendance.
He described the European Union, whose creation was encouraged for decades by Washington, as rooted in an attempt to counter the United States.
“Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting, according to AFP.
The US President also brushed aside Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO, again repeating Russia’s stance that the issue caused the three-year-old war.
“NATO — you can forget about,” Trump said when asked about a potential deal to end the war. “I think that’s probably the reason the whole thing started.”
“I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We’re going to have Europe do that,” Trump said, referring to the grouping.
The comments come amid reports of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visiting the White House this week to sign a deal to give the United States access to Ukrainian mineral resources.
“President Zelenskyy is going to be coming on Friday, that is now confirmed,” Trump said Wednesday at his first cabinet meeting.
Trump had demanded compensation for US aid paid out under the administration of former US president Joe Biden in the three years since Russia invaded in February 2022.
The US leader had sought $500 billion in compensation — around four times the amount that Washington has paid out to Ukraine, which currently stands at $120 billion, according to the Kiel Institute, a German economic research body.
Zelenskyy rejected this draft saying he would not sign off on an accord that “ten generations” of Ukrainians would be liable to pay off.
He also said that tariffs on European Union products would be 25 percent in general, and signaled that tariffs on Canada and Mexico will take effect in early April.
“We’ll be announcing it very soon and it’ll be 25 percent, generally speaking, and that’ll be on cars and all of the things.”
Meanwhile, Elon Musk urged Trump to “move quickly” to reduce the federal budget deficit. The US President said cabinet members were delighted with Musk’s contributions, whose mission to reform the federal government is shaking up Washington.
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
