“Just so you understand, Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They get their money back.” “Now, in fact to be frank, we paid. We paid 60 percent of the total defaults, and it was like the U.S. — loans, guarantee grants — and we provided real money, to be clear.”

President Trump said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, would visit Washington on Friday as part of a deal for Ukrainian mineral wealth. His position could ultimately embolden Russia.