Trump's 10pc mark-up on arms sales to Europe may fund Ukraine security guarantees

Telegraph

a day ago

Donald Trump could use a 10 per cent levy on weapons sales to Europe to fund US security guarantees for Ukraine, his treasury secretary has said.
Scott Bessent revealed that the president had increased the price of US military hardware being bought by European countries for Ukraine by 10 per cent.
'We are selling arms to Europeans, who are then selling them on to the Ukrainians, and President Trump is taking 10 per cent mark-up on the arms,' Mr Bessent told Fox News. 'So maybe that 10 per cent will cover the cost of the air cover.'
Earlier this week, Mr Trump said he would be willing to use US air power to support a European security force in Ukraine as part of any settlement to end the war with Russia.
European nations have already pledged to buy at least $10bn in American-made military equipment for Kyiv in recent weeks.
Ukraine has also tabled a proposal that would see the country promise to buy a further $90bn worth of hardware after its war with Russia comes to an end.
Mr Trump has insisted for some time that he will no longer spend US taxpayers' money on supporting Ukraine, the defence of which he believes is a problem for European nations.
Nato military leaders hold summit
Planning for a multinational force to be sent to Ukraine has been accelerated after the US president signalled he would be willing to contribute during talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, and European leaders.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the British chief of defence staff, was in Washington on Wednesday for talks with his US counterpart, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff.
They joined a virtual meeting of Nato's military leaders 'as diplomatic efforts to secure peace in Ukraine progress', Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, an Italian admiral who heads the alliance's military committee, said.
The plans being discussed would see a European force train and develop Ukraine's armed forces, while securing its skies and seas. Around 10 nations have shown a willingness to join the deployment, including Britain, France and Germany.
Mr Trump has signalled he could join bolstered plans for 'Article Five-like' assurances for Kyiv – a reference to Nato's mutual defence clause that states an attack on one member is an attack on them all. But he has ruled out putting American boots on the ground as part of assistance.
Meanwhile, the suggestion of a European peacekeeping force stationed in Ukraine has been met with veiled rejections from Moscow.
Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, warned that discussion of security guarantees without the Kremlin's involvement was a 'road to nowhere'.
Russia signals peace deal not close
Russia's top diplomat suggested that any guarantees should be on the basis of Russian demands from initial peace talks in the spring of 2022, which gave Moscow a veto over any military aid for Kyiv.
'We cannot agree with the fact that now it is proposed to resolve questions of security, collective security, without the Russian Federation. This will not work,' said Mr Lavrov on Wednesday.
'I am sure that in the West, and above all in the United States, they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia – it's a road to nowhere.'
This week, Moscow also issued a categorical rejection of 'any scenarios involving the deployment of Nato troops in Ukraine'.
In a sign that a peace deal is not within reach, Mr Lavrov accused the European leaders who met Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky of carrying out 'a fairly aggressive escalation of the situation, rather clumsy and, in general, unethical attempts to change the position of the Trump administration and the president of the United States personally'.