US President Donald Trump announced on social media that he intends to ask European nations to repay the US for military aid previously sent to Ukraine, claiming that hundreds of billions of dollars was given "free of charge" but should have been paid by Europe instead. This proposal appears to be related to a 2023 initiative where European countries pay to supply Ukraine with US weapons through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List. The statement comes as oil prices reached fresh six-week highs due to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, which may impact US voters' opinions on next year's Congressional elections.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump has announced that his special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will travel to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend to attempt to revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The envoys are bringing a proposal to end the war, which is now in its fifth year, but details of the plan have not been revealed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that he will meet with Witkoff and Kushner on Sunday after they visit Moscow on Saturday.
Trump told reporters that Witkoff and Kushner are "two great negotiators" who have done a good job, and that there is a chance for peace talks to be successful. However, the itinerary has been in flux, and it was previously reported that Witkoff had concerns about traveling to Kyiv due to Russian warnings.
Meanwhile, Trump also stated that the US will ask European nations to pay back the cost of military aid sent to Ukraine, which he claims is in the hundreds of billions of dollars. This move appears to be a shift in policy, as previous administrations have provided this aid free of charge.
Written for “US Effort to End Ukraine War” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.85 for article 4326 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-05
Trump wants Europe to retroactively pay U.S. for past Ukraine aid
asserted
Europe → want → aid
U.S. president says on social media that 'we'll be asking for that money'
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we → say → money
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would ask European nations to pay back the United States for military aid and munitions previously sent to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia and appeared to signal a halt in sales to allied nations.
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he → say → nations
In a social media post, Trump also slammed reports of heavily depleted U.S. munition stockpiles amid the separate war in Iran, while adding that the United States was ramping up production and stockpiling munitions.
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States → slam → munitions
"We are taking them for ourselves, the U.S.A., rather than selling them to others, but the sales to Allies will soon again, begin," Trump wrote.
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Trump → take → Allies
"Hundreds of Billions of Dollars was given to Ukraine and NATO, free of charge, that Europe would have paid for — If they were only asked, but we will be asking for that money, though somewhat belatedly!" he added, blaming the administration of his Democratic predecessor U.S. president Joe Biden.
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he → give → predecessor
Last year, the United States and NATO developed the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative, under which European countries pay to supply Ukraine with U.S. weapons.
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countries → develop → weapons
Reuters reported last month that the U.S. Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during the Iran war, raising concerns about the military's readiness for future conflicts.
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Army → report → conflicts
The wars' impact on U.S. voters
Both the wars in Ukraine and Iran — and their economic shocks — could impact whether Trump's fellow Republicans maintain control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress next year.
uncertain
Republicans → impact → Congress
On Thursday, oil prices hit fresh six-week highs as the latest U.S. strikes on Iran and renewed Israeli threats against Tehran revived concerns about disruptions to Middle East supplies as vessels remain throttled in the Strait of Hormuz.
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vessels → hit → Hormuz
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday sought to partly blame Kyiv's recent strikes against Russian energy targets for rising oil and gas prices.
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Bessent → seek → prices
"We are going through an energy shock right now due to both the war in Ukraine — because, you know, Ukraine has decided that they want to blow up Russian energy assets and refined products, so that is creating upward price pressure on a global basis — and then the conflict in Iran," he told Fox News in an interview.
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he → go → interview
