Former US president Donald Trump has claimed that he sent military aid to Ukraine.
On Saturday, March 12, at a rally at Florence Regional Airport in Florence, South Carolina, Trump took credit for sending military aid to Ukraine, which has entered its 18th day of fighting with Russia.
Despite how Trump's first impeachment exposed him for putting $400 million of aid on hold, the 75-year-old told the crowd that it wasn't current president Joe Biden who was responsible for sending anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, but him.
Reflecting on the strength of of the 'anti-tank weapons' which are called Javelins, Trump explained that the portable missiles 'knock the hell out of those tanks'.
He said: 'Remember that with Ukraine I sent the Javelins that you see are so effective against the tanks.
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'Biden didn't. And in fact, he ended our last order. Probably it'll get there because everyone realised it was the right thing to do and Obama. Remember Obama and Biden, they sent blankets. I sent Javelins [...]
'And Ukraine wouldn't be having a chance without them. That was all sent by me. All of it. We sent other military equipment too. We didn't send our soldiers but we sent them a lot of equipment.'
Officials have stated that in the past year, weapons amounting to the sum of $1.2 billion have been authorized by Biden's administration, as per The New York Times.
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It is also reported that over 17,000 anti-tank weapons, including Javelins, were sent by NATO and the United States to Ukrainian forces during the first week of Russia's invasion, Business Insider reports.
In December 2017, according to Foreign Policy, while Trump eventually agreed to send $47 million worth of weapons to Ukraine, the former President opposed the move.
The aid included 37 launchers and 210 Javelins.
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In March 2018, the sale was eventually completed, however it is reported that Trump was only persuaded by aides to let it go ahead on the basis of it looking good for the US' economy.
The former president also demanded that the weapons only be delivered to areas in the west of the country, opposed to zones of conflict.
Trump's apparent revelation that he is the sole person responsible for recent military aid to Ukraine subsequently appears to be contradicted by his previous reluctance to assist the country.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
Topics: Donald Trump, Ukraine, Russia
Poppy Bilderbeck