Slams reports of heavily depleted US munition stockpiles amid the separate war in Iran
US President Donald Trump speaks while hosting a dinner in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on September 2, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/file
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would ask European nations to pay back the US for military aid and munitions previously sent to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia and appeared to signal a halt in sales to allied nations.
In a social media post, Trump also slammed reports of heavily depleted US munition stockpiles amid the separate war in Iran, while adding that the United States was ramping up production and stockpiling munitions.
“We are taking them for ourselves, the USA, rather than selling them to others, but the sales to Allies will soon again begin,” Trump wrote.
“Hundreds of billions of dollars was given to Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), free of charge, that Europe would have paid for — If they were only asked, but we will be asking for that money, though somewhat belatedly!” he added, blaming the administration of his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
Last year, the United States and NATO developed the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List initiative, under which European countries pay to supply Ukraine with US weapons.
Read: Trump confirms 18 killed in latest US strikes on Iran
Reuters reported last month that the US Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during the Iran war, raising concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts.
Both the wars in Ukraine and Iran — and their economic shocks — could impact whether Trump’s fellow Republicans maintain control of both chambers of the US Congress next year.
On Thursday, oil prices hit fresh six-week highs as the latest US strikes on Iran and renewed Israeli threats against Tehran revived concerns about disruptions to Middle East supplies as vessels remain throttled in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday sought to partly blame Kyiv’s recent strikes against Russian energy targets for rising oil and gas prices.
“We are going through an energy shock right now due to both the war in Ukraine — because, you know, Ukraine has decided that they want to blow up Russian energy assets and refined products, so that is creating upward price pressure on a global basis — and then the conflict in Iran,” he told Fox News in an interview.
The announcement from the US president came as Russian drones pounded central Kyiv on Wednesday, wounding 11 people and damaging residential and university buildings as the Ukrainian capital endured a seventh consecutive day of near-round-the-clock attacks that have disrupted transport, logistics and daily life.
The daytime attack hit a downtown university while students were in class, forcing about 160 people to seek shelter, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. He criticised what he called an insufficient international response to the latest Russian escalation.
The attacks have killed dozens of civilians in Kyiv and the surrounding region, while the city has struggled to intercept waves of jet-powered drones. Loud explosions echoed through the capital as air defences targeted incoming drones.
