"It is possible that Putin has territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine," Trump said.

He said Europe must take greater responsibility for the continent's security to avoid catastrophes like Russia's invasion of Ukraine. To do this, the president said, Europeans must significantly increase defense spending - especially on"serious military equipment," preferably American-made.

Speaking about the agreement of NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, Trump did not hide his satisfaction, emphasizing that this was his merit. The president mocked European countries, which, he said, had previously"not tried to take the threats from the East seriously enough."

The statement marks a rare instance of Trump publicly acknowledging potential Kremlin aggression outside of Ukraine, although he has often avoided direct criticism of Vladimir Putin in the past.