Europe has spent more on purchasing Russia’s oil and gas than it has on assistance for Ukraine in its war with the country, President Donald Trump has told U.S. Congress.
Trump made the comment during his address to lawmakers on Tuesday, in which he referred to what his administration might do to end the three-year-old conflict started by Moscow.
Trump compared the aid that the U.S. has provided Ukraine with what the war-torn country was receiving from its European allies, effectively casting doubt on the commitment of the continent’s leaders who have raised concerns about Washington stopping its assistance in the fight against Russia.
Newsweek has contacted the European Union for comment.
The Claim
Trump said Europe has spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than defending Ukraine, adding that the U.S. had spent “$350 billion” which was like “taking candy from a baby” while Europe had spent “$100 billion—what a difference that is.”
The Facts
Over the course of the war started by Vladimir Putin, the U.S. had been the biggest donor of military and financial assistance to Ukraine.
Trump had claimed he could end the war within a day of entering the Oval Office and, while this deadline has been extended to a more realistic time frame, the U.S. leader has insisted he can still broker a swift resolution to the conflict.
After speculation about what a Trump administration would mean for Washington’s support, on Monday Trump paused military aid for Kyiv, pending a review and prompting concern in some quarters about Ukraine’s ability to fight.
During his address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his grievance about U.S. spending on Ukraine, which he said had provided “no security,” as he asked: “Do you want to keep it going for another five years?”
Not everyone agreed with his sentiment and there was applause from some lawmakers when he mentioned the extent of U.S. support.
He went on to refer to the continuing number of casualties on both sides, adding: “I want it to stop before taking aim at Kyiv’s European allies for spending more on Russian oil and gas than on defending Ukraine,” a claim he repeated.
Trump said that “we have perhaps spent $350 billion” compared with the $100 billion spent by Europe, adding: “We have an ocean separating us.”
He also accused the previous Biden administration of high spending on Ukraine with no success and suggested that Europe was not taking a fair share of the burden, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told him he was ready to negotiate.
Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. has spent $350 billion on Ukraine although, according to the Kiel Institute, the figure is much lower, totaling $114 billion as of the end of 2024.
How Much Did Europe Spend in 2024?
A report last month by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found the 27-member EU bloc bought around 21.9 billion euros ($23.5 billion) in fossil fuels from Russia in 2024.
This is higher than the 18.7 billion euros ($20 billion) it said that the EU had allocated to Ukraine in financial aid in the same period, according to a tracker from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
According to the Russia Fossil Tracker project led by CREA, Russia has earned over 206 billion euros ($220 billion) in energy revenues from the European Union since the war started on February 24, 2022.
In the same time frame, the continent has spent 132 billion euros ($141 billion) in financial assistance for Ukraine, although this includes all European countries and not just EU members, according to the Kiel Institute.
Europe is less energy dependent on Russia, with gas imports dropping significantly, but one quarter of Russia’s fossil fuel export revenues still come from Europe.
The CREA said that despite sanctions imposed on Russian energy to curb its military machine, EU imports of fossil fuels from the country are largely unchanged with a six percent year-on-year drop in value but only a 1 percent year-on-year drop in volumes.
Russian fossil fuel revenues could fall 20 percent by beefing up existing sanctions and plugging gaps such as closing a “refining loophole” through which Europe can buy Russian crude that has been processed in another country, and a crackdown on liquefied natural gas, the CREA added.
The Ruling
True.
FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK
During his address to Congress Trump referred to Europe as a whole, rather than the European Union, and he did not specify a time frame in the three-year war.
However, when taking into account spending from 2024, the European Union did spend more on Russian fossil fuels than on its assistance for Ukraine, according to the CREA.
The think tank’s Russia Fossil Tracker also showed that Russia has earned over 206 billion euros ($220 billion) in energy revenues from the European Union during the war, which surpasses the estimated 132 billion euros ($141 billion) in financial assistance for Ukraine.
Read the full article here
