Trump roasts preachy European leaders for spending more on Russian oil than aid to Ukraine

President Trump tore into Europe for spending more on Russian petroleum than aid to Ukraine as allies demand the US do more to help Kyiv.European leaders voiced a flurry of support and well-wishes for Kyiv over the weekend following the widely publicized Oval Office shouting match that erupted between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 47, and Trump, 78, last Friday.Despite their social media posts and lofty rhetoric, Trump, 78, implied the leaders’ actions have been feckless and insincere.“Europe has spent more money buying Russian Oil and Gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine —BY FAR!” Trump groused on Truth Social.A study last week by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) concluded that European Union countries spent roughly €21.9 billion ($23 billion) on Russian fossil fuels last year.That’s only a 1% drop from the prior year and just above the roughly €18.7 billion ($19.6 billion) Europe sent in aid to Ukraine in 2024, the study noted, citing data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.Total Russian earnings off petroleum and other fossil fuels clocked in at €242 billion ($253.8 billion) last year and about €847 billion ($888.5 billion) since the country’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.For context, Russia’s total nominal gross domestic product last year was estimated to be hovering around $2.2 trillion based on data from the Kremlin, as assessed by the International Monetary Fund.The top three buyers of Russian fossil fuels include China ($81.8 billion), India ($51.5 billion) and Turkey ($35.6), a NATO ally that has unsuccessfully attempted to gain admittance into the European Union.Notably, India’s purchases of Russian fossil fuels shot up 8%, and Turkey’s jumped 6% last year relative to 2023, the CREA study found.In addition to the open purchases of Russian fossil fuels, CREA warned about “shadow” vessels from Moscow that accounted for an estimated 61% of th...