Trump: We will ask Europe to pay for military aid we sent to Ukraine

US President Donald Trump said today that he would ask European countries to reimburse the United States for military aid and ammunition previously sent to Ukraine, and he also signaled a halt to arms sales to allies.

In a post on social media, Trump also dismissed reports that US ammunition stocks were seriously depleted due to the war in Iran, while stating that the United States was increasing its own stockpiles.

"We are keeping them for ourselves, for the USA, instead of selling them to others, but sales to allies will soon begin again," Trump wrote.

"Hundreds of billions of dollars were given to Ukraine and NATO for free, even though Europe would have paid for it - if only someone had asked. But now we will ask for that money, albeit with some delay!" he added.

Last year, the United States and NATO launched the “Ukraine Priority Needs List” initiative, under which European countries pay for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine.

Reuters reported last month that the US military had used up a large portion of its stockpile of long-range, high-precision missiles during the Iran war, raising concerns about the armed forces' readiness for future conflicts.

The wars in Ukraine and Iran, and the economic upheaval they have caused, could affect whether Trump's Republicans retain control of both houses of the US Congress next year.

Oil prices hit fresh six-week highs on Monday as the latest US strikes on Iran and renewed Israeli threats to Tehran stoked fears of supply disruptions from the Middle East, while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained difficult.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant yesterday he tried to attribute part of the responsibility for the rise in oil and gas prices to recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy targets.

"We're currently going through an energy shock because of the war in Ukraine - because, you know, Ukraine has decided to attack Russian energy infrastructure and refining capacity, which is driving up prices globally - but also because of the conflict in Iran," he said in an interview with Fox News.