Biden, like "stupid fool," gave Ukraine significant part of US stockpiles worth $350 billion for free, Trump says
US President Donald Trump has once again accused the previous White House administration of giving Ukraine $350 billion worth of weapons for free.
The US leader said this while speaking to journalists on 1 May, Censor.NET reports.
Criticism of Biden
Trump was asked whether US stocks of bombs and missiles were being depleted because of wars in the Middle East. He replied that he was not worried about it because "there are more of them than ever."
At the same time, he criticized his predecessor Joe Biden over aid to Ukraine:
"Biden came in like a stupid fool, and he gave a lot of what we had to Ukraine. They spent $350 billion, we don’t do that. Everyone has to pay. The EU pays us, but Biden did not get the money. But he gave away a lot of stocks. Now, relatively speaking, it is not that bad, but it was a lot of stocks. He gave them to Ukraine," the politician claimed.
Background
- On 30 April, Trump claimed that financial aid to Ukraine during Joe Biden’s term was one of the reasons why the Russian-Ukrainian war is still ongoing.
- US Vice President JD Vance is proud that the United States has stopped funding Ukraine.
- US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth again said that the administration of former President Joe Biden "irresponsibly" provided Ukraine with "hundreds of billions of dollars" in military aid, which led to an escalation of the war. That is why Donald Trump insists on peace between the two countries.
As a reminder, since 2022, the United States has spent a total of $187 billion on military, economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine, replenishing its own weapons stocks, intelligence activities and assistance to allies in Europe.
US weapons for Ukraine under Biden
- According to Pentagon data, the previous administration provided Kyiv with $33.8 billion worth of weapons from Defense Department stocks and another $33.2 billion in funding to purchase weapons directly from US defense companies.
- After the last release of weapons from Pentagon stockpiles on 9 January 2025, $3.85 billion in congressionally approved funds remains unused for such drawdowns of existing weapons for Ukraine.
