Trump: Putin fears not Europe, but US under my leadership

He made this comment to journalists at the White House, Ukrinform reports.

"Europe has been doing so much for Ukraine, but it hasn't been enough. And obviously, President Putin is not afraid of Europe. He's afraid of the United States of America led by me," Trump added.

He noted that Europe has "fallen behind," Europe is changing, and "Europe has got to get its act together."

At the same time, Trump said that he has a positive view of Europe, as he himself has European roots, but stressed that today it is "a different place" than it used to be.

When asked whether he could deal with Putin the same way he did with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – sending a mission to capture the Russian dictator – Trump said: "I don't think it's going to be necessary."

He also noted that he has always had "a great relationship" with Putin, but is "very disappointed."

"Last month they lost 31,000 people, many of them Russian soldiers and the Russian economy is doing poorly. I think we're going to end up getting it settled," Trump said.

He reiterated that the U.S. is not spending money to support Ukraine directly but is selling weapons for Ukrainian needs to NATO countries.

"We're making a lot of money," Trump said, adding: "That's not a big deal to me. What is a big deal is stopping the war where 30,000 people are being killed every single month."

Photo: The White House