U.S. President Trump posted an article on the "RealSocial" platform on the 3rd, stating that he would demand European countries to repay the military aid and ammunition provided by the United States to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukraine war. He also seemed to imply a suspension of weapon sales to allies.
Additionally, Trump also refuted reports suggesting that the United States is running out of ammunition during its operations in Iran. He added that the US is increasing its production and stockpiling of ammunition.
Trump wrote: “We are keeping these munitions for ourselves—for America—not selling them to other countries. However, sales to allied nations will be resumed soon.”
He also said, “Hundreds of billions of dollars were given to Ukraine and NATO for free, and this money should have been paid by Europe—if they had been asked to pay at that time. We will demand repayment of this money, although it is a bit late.” He attributed this to the previous Biden administration.
It is reported that the United States and NATO established a ‘Ukraine Priority Needs List’ initiative last year. According to this initiative, European countries are responsible for purchasing weapons manufactured by the United States for Ukraine.
Reuters reported last month that the U.S. military had exhausted most of its high-precision long-range missile stockpiles during the war in Iran, raising concerns about the U.S. military's combat readiness in future conflicts.
The media also pointed out that the conflicts between Ukraine and Iran, along with the economic impacts they cause, could affect whether the Republican Party, which Trump represents, can continue to control both houses of the U.S. Congress next year.
On the 3rd, oil prices reached a six-week high. The reason is the recent attacks by the United States on Iran, along with Israel’s renewed threats against Tehran, which has caused markets to once again worry about disruptions in Middle Eastern supplies. Previously, ship transportation through the Strait of Hormuz had been disrupted.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bernsen on February 2 attempted to attribute some of the recent increases in oil and natural gas prices to Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy targets.
He said in an interview with Fox News: "We are currently facing an energy crisis, caused not only by the conflict in Iran but also by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. You know, Ukraine decided to destroy Russia's energy assets and refined oil products, which has caused upward pressure on prices globally."
