Trump and Zelenskyy have agreed: $100 billion in US military aid to Ukraine will be paid for by Europe
In fact, the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy did produce some consensus, such as making Europe the "sucker" to pay for the US military aid to Ukraine.
On the 18th, British media Financial Times reported that the US and Ukraine had reached a deal, under which Ukraine would purchase $100 billion worth of American weapons with funding from Europe, as well as another plan worth $500 billion for joint production of drones by the US and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said after his meeting at the White House that Ukraine's future security plan indeed includes a package of $900 billion, and he has reached an agreement with Trump that the US will purchase Ukrainian drones.
The report by the Financial Times and Zelenskyy's statements essentially refer to Trump's previous proposal of "the US providing military aid to Ukraine, with Europe paying for it." The only change is that previously Trump planned to have Europe pay for $10 billion worth of weapons for Ukraine, while now it has increased to $100 billion.
However, the agreement is one thing, and whether it can be implemented is another. Previously, when Trump asked Europe to pay for the US military aid to Ukraine, it was rejected by many European countries, with only Germany, the Netherlands, and a few other countries expressing "limited support."
In short, the essence of the deal between Trump and Ukraine is to use Europe as a "tool": the Russia-Ukraine negotiations over dividing Ukraine's interests do not allow Europe to participate, but when it comes to actually paying money, Europe must bear the cost for US interests.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840857654038599/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.