Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress: key remarks on Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on March 4 delivered his first address to Congress since being re-elected for a second non-continuous term.

The one-hour, 40-minute State of the Union speech took place on the 44th day of his presidency.

The record-breaking 100-minute speech, the longest in the past 60 years, largely focused on U.S. domestic and foreign policy, with Trump frequently criticizing the previous administration of Joe Biden and the opposing Democratic party.

A significant portion of the address contained inaccuracies according to fact checkers at National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and FactCheck.org.

His speech highlighted the deep political divide in the U.S.: Republicans stood in applause, while Democrats protested loudly – some were told by the legislature’s Sergeant at Arms to restrain their vocal criticism or risk eviction from the chamber. .

The president once again expressed his commitment to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine as soon as possible, noting that the Kremlin had also shown signs of readiness for peace.

“I’m also working tirelessly to end the savage conflict in Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed or wounded in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight,” Trump said, adding that “the United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense.”

He also mentioned receiving a letter from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that indicated his willingness to sign a deal on mineral extraction “at any time.” Trump expressed gratitude for the letter.

Trump criticized Europe as well.

“Meanwhile, Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they’ve spent on defending Ukraine, by far. Think of that,” he said.

He repeated his claim that the U.S. had provided $350 billion in aid to Ukraine, while Europe had contributed only $100 billion, which is not factually true.

“BBC Verify could not find any evidence to support Trump’s claim of $350 billion, and some reports suggest Europe may have spent more overall, considering all forms of aid to Ukraine,” the BBC reported.

During the Ukrainian section of the speech, several democrat lawmakers walked out of the chamber.