The White House should stop giving Kiev cash and start lending it, the former US president has insisted

Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner, has claimed that Vladimir Zelensky is one of the “greatest salesmen” he has ever known, as the Ukrainian head of state manages to leave Washington with pockets full of cash every time he visits the US.

During a campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio on Saturday, Trump also shared his views about providing billions of dollars in support to Kiev. The former president reiterated his earlier idea that the US should lend money to Kiev instead of simply handing it over.

“We should loan them the money, not send them the money, so that if they do make it - they are against tremendous odds - they pay us back,” Trump said. “Loan them the money, let them be a little bit like they have to be a little nice... Loan them the money, don’t just hand them a check for $60 billion,” he exclaimed.

“I tell you, Zelensky is one of the greatest salesmen in history. Every time he comes to the country, he walks away with $50 or $60 billion,” Trump said.

“I’ve never been able to do that. He's a much better salesman than me,” he added.

Since the beginning of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, Washington has been Kiev’s primary backer, having provided it with around $113 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian aid.

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Trump, US President Joe Biden’s presumptive Republican challenger in this November’s election - said last week that NATO countries “laugh at the stupidity of the United States” for spending so much money on Ukraine, and must “pay their bills.”

Biden is currently pushing Congress to pass a $95 billion foreign aid bill that includes more than $60 billion worth of additional military aid for Kiev. He has claimed that Ukraine would lose more territory to Russia if the bill is not approved. The administration’s request - which was greenlit by the Senate - has stalled in Congress because of Republican opposition.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration said that Washington would send a new military aid package to Ukraine worth $300 million.

The White House also looked at options for seizing some $285 billion in Russian assets frozen in 2022 and using the money to purchase Ukraine weaponry.