Treasury chief: US earns 10% on arms sold to Europe before reaching Ukraine

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that American taxpayers may not directly bear the costs of possible air support for Ukraine, since the United States profits from arms sales to Europe that are later transferred to Kyiv.

Speaking on Fox News, Bessent was asked whether US taxpayers would be responsible for financing potential American air cover for Ukraine as part of Washington’s security guarantees to Kyiv, a step President Donald Trump has indicated he is prepared to take.

“I think President Trump is very vigilant right now. We are selling arms to the Europeans, who are then selling them on to the Ukrainians. And President Trump is taking a 10% markup on the arms. So maybe that 10% will cover the cost of the air cover,” Bessent said.

He also noted that ending the war was a prerequisite for deeper economic cooperation with Ukraine, though initial investments would begin sooner. “The conflict has got to stop for the economic partnership to really kick in. We're going to start with some investments now,” he added.

In mid-July, Trump unveiled a new scheme for arms supplies to Ukraine, particularly Patriot missile defence systems. Under the plan, European countries would provide systems from their own arsenals to Kyiv, and Washington would then replace them with new ones. Germany has already agreed to transfer two Patriot batteries. Moscow has strongly condemned the continued supply of Western weapons to Kyiv.

European states are purchasing these arms through NATO mechanisms. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his August 18 meeting with Trump at the White House, said that Kyiv views this system as part of its broader security guarantees.

Meanwhile, at a summit in Alaska on August 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agreed on the need to provide security guarantees for Ukraine. Several European countries are considering going further by deploying troops to Ukraine in this capacity, with media reporting that about ten nations are prepared to contribute.

Moscow has rejected such proposals, warning against any deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that such a move “could lead to an uncontrollable escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences.”

By Tamilla Hasanova