Europe spends more on Russian oil, gas than on defending Ukraine: Trump

Europe has spent more on Russian oil and gas than on defending Ukraine against Russia, US President Donald Trump said on Monday.

"Europe has spent more money buying Russian Oil and Gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine —BY FAR!," he said on Truth Social.

EU member states purchased €21.9 billion of Russian oil and gas in the third year of its war on Ukraine, according to estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

The amount is greater than the €18.7 billion the 27-member bloc allocated to Ukraine in financial aid in 2024, figures cited by a tracker from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy showed.

Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine after his Oval Office clash with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, media reports said on Monday, quoting an unnamed White House official.

He wants a quick deal to end the three-year-long war, but Zelenskyy has pushed for security guarantees.

European leaders, for their part, have scrambled to present their own peace plan to Trump, and the EU on Tuesday announced an 800 billon euro ReArm Europe plan to increase defense spending over the years, and urgently support Ukraine.