Now let's talk about Ukraine.
In the last 24 hours, Kiev received some good news
and some bad news.
Let's start with the good news.
Ukrainian President Zelensky is in the UK today attending a
European Community summit being hosted by Britains new Prime Minister
Keir Starmer.
Starmer is going out of his way to assure Zelensky
that Britain has his back.
Our first task here today is to confirm our steadfast
support for Ukraine, to unite once again behind those values
that we cherish, and to say we will face down
aggression on this continent together because the threat from Russia
reaches right across Europe.
Starmer is sending a message.
Like Rishi Sonak and Boris Johnson before him, Starmer will
continue to help Ukraine.
That's the message.
And that was the good news.
And it must have been music to Zelensky's ears because
lately he would have been hearing a more ominous sound,
the whispers of his Western allies abandoning him, starting with
his most important ally, the United States of America.
There was always a good chance that Donald Trump would
win this years election and return to the White House,
but that possibility became more real this week after the
attempt on Trump's life.
He seems closer to power than ever before.
And that is bad news for Ukraine, because Trump has
been quite clear.
He wants to stop funding Kiev.
He wants to push for talks between Ukraine and Russia.
Whether this happens or not, the message is clear.
Trump has no interest in burning money on Zelensky, and
our Trump has chosen JD Vance as his running mate,
a man who openly doesn't care for Ukraine.
So Zelensky's days of getting American money may be numbered,
and that alone could be enough to cost him the
war.
Without American support, Ukraine will struggle to keep Russia at
Bay.
But perhaps it could manage for a while, Grind it
out for a few years.
That may have been a possibility until this news came
in from Germany.
The German government passed its budget yesterday, the budget for
2025, and there was a small detail that stood out
the amount Berlin set aside for aid to Kiev.
That amount was about $8.7 billion in 2024.
But in 2025, Germany has only allotted half that amount,
a straight 50% cut.
Berlin defended this move.
Their finance minister Christian Lindner made his excuses after the
budget.
He said that Ukraines funding was secured because of money
from frozen Russian assets.
This was a plan the West had devised a few
weeks ago to loan Ukraine $50 billion using the proceeds
from frozen Russian assets in their possession.
Germany says that this plan will will result in Ukraine
having plenty of money S it doesn't need to set
aside too much for additional aid.
That was the excuse.
But is that the only reason that Berlin is cutting
funds for Ukraine?
Lindner also had this to say.
Germany continues to be strongly engaged on an international level,
but to some extent weight is being shifted.
We have to invest a lot more in our hard
security and at the same time we cannot continue to
be involved across the world like we used to be.
He said Germany needs to invest money in hard security.
That means defence spending and it could explain the decision
behind cutting funds for Ukraine.
Germany is a member of NATO but it doesn't really
pull its weight.
Germany has systematically under invested in its military.
Berlin has gotten away with this for years.
But it might not work anymore, especially if Trump returns
to the White House.
Because Trump has been clear on this too.
Every NATO member must contribute its fair share.
They must spend at least 2% of their GDP on
defence.
That is what Trump wants.
Now that his return seems imminent.
Germany seems to be scrambling, trying to arrange the required
funds from all available sources, including the money they set
aside for Ukraine.
This is another blow for Kiev and it might not
stop here.
So the question is if other NATO countries follow Germanys
example, if they took pull aid for Ukraine, how long
before Kiev capitalates across continents?
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Hello, I'm Alex Green coming to you from South Africa.
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I'm Eric Ham, Live from the nations capital of Washington,
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