This is how Donald Trump referred to Brussels, while his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stood up his European counterpart, Kaja Kallas, in Washington. The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, traveled to Washington this week,

“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.

Trump has horrified European allies with his attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy and what critics say is a soft take on Vladimir Putin.