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President says U.S. forces will remain in the Gulf "a little while," urges NATO/Europe to pay for aid and flags possible Russia sanctions
Summary
The President said U.S. troops would stay "a little while" in the Gulf, said he sends military support to Europe and that "Europe pays for it," assessed Ukraine as "doing pretty well," and said he might reimpose sanctions on Russia to keep oil prices low.
When asked how long U.S. forces would remain in the Gulf, the President said they would stay "a little while," that it was a "good place to stay," and that future posture would depend on developments. On support for Ukraine, the President said Ukrainian forces were "doing pretty well" on the battlefield even against Russia's larger military and equipment.
The President described the cost dynamics of U.S. support by saying, "I send it to Europe. Europe pays for it. NATO pays for it," and contrasted that with a claim that the prior administration "gave 300 billion dollars worth of equipment away." He suggested Europe and NATO should shoulder more of the financial burden for military aid.
On sanctions related to Russia and an oil-waiver issue, the President said he "may put them back on" if needed to help keep oil prices low. Reporters pressed on details but the briefing provided only the President’s stated preferences and did not include any formal announcement of new sanctions or a timeline for changes.
