Republican senators consult with Trump over proposal to issue aid to Ukraine in the form of a loan
A group of senators from the Republican Party spoke with former US President Donald Trump about his proposal to provide funding to Ukraine in the form of a loan.
Source: European Pravda, citing The Hill
Republicans say they approached Trump with this idea and discussed it in a phone conversation on Monday.
Quote: "There was a group of us, and we were discussing [this] and kind of getting an understanding of what he was thinking, and if he was serious about this, because if he is, then let’s figure out how [this will actually work]," said Senator Markwayne Mullin.
He said that "it was actually a great conversation".
Senator Kevin Cramer said that he also spoke with Trump about this idea which, according to him, is gaining "a lot of momentum," and he believes it is not "overly offensive to the recipients".
Cramer voted for the package that was approved by the Senate 70-29 early on 13 February and included US$60 billion in aid for Ukraine. Mullin voted against it.
Senator Lindsey Graham, who voted against the Senate aid package, expressed support for this idea on 12 February, stating that "[the] supplemental aid package should be a loan to the countries in question, as suggested by President Trump".
Quote: "A loan on friendly terms allows America, who is deeply in debt, a chance to get our money back and changes the paradigm of how we help others. President Trump is right to insist that we think outside the box," Graham said.
At the same time, not all Republicans supported the former president's idea.
"In the case of Ukraine, for instance, they wouldn’t be able to pay it. Their economy has been devastated. It’s a fig leaf [a transparent token gesture that fails to hide one’s real intentions]. But if he wants a fig leaf and if it gets it to the House, I’d rather have that than nothing," said Senator Mitt Romney.
Within the ranks of the Democratic Party, there is criticism of Trump's proposal.
"Trump’s not President of the United States. He had terrible ideas when he was President of the United States. His ideas are even worse now, and the fact that my Republican colleagues are still letting him pull their strings is tragic," said Senator Chris Murphy.
Background: Trump previously called on NATO to assist Ukraine at the same level as the United States. He also stated that the United States should never again give money that it does not intend to see repaid or is not subject to certain conditions.
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