US presidential candidate Donald Trump did not consider it appropriate to continue financing Ukraine and opposed the provision of a $61 billion aid package to Kyiv. But House Speaker Mike Johnson assured the ex-president, who is influential among Republicans, that approving aid to Kyiv would help unite the party.

Axar.az reports that this is stated in the book "War" by American journalist Bob Woodward.

"During the debate in the House of Representatives on another aid package for Ukraine, Trump stated that support for Ukraine is a waste of taxpayers' money because Ukraine is corrupt and Russia's victory is inevitable. The former president considers it pointless to finance Ukraine. This opinion was emphasized by Republican Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, after numerous conversations with Trump. But Johnson was later able to convince him to support the bill, citing the need to preserve unity among House Republicans. "Trump saw benefits for himself and canceled the veto," the report said.