Trump’s team has told European officials that the US president-elect intends to maintain military support for Kyiv after his inauguration, according to the report.
This stance marks a shift from Trump's campaign rhetoric, during which he vowed to cut off aid to Ukraine, force Kyiv into immediate peace talks, and leave NATO allies undefended if they failed to meet defence spending targets.
Trump's closest foreign policy aides shared his intentions in discussions with senior European officials earlier this month, the FT said in an article, citing people familiar with the talks.
The plan is seen as reassuring for allies worried about their capacity to support and defend Ukraine without US backing, the report said.
The FT cited "two people briefed on the conversations" as saying that Trump plans to demand NATO members more than double the current defence spending target of 2 percent of GDP—met by only 23 of the alliance’s 32 members—to 5 percent.
One source suggested Trump might settle for 3.5 percent and indicated he is considering linking higher defence spending with the prospect of more favourable trade deals with the United States, the report added.
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Source: PAP, ft.com