U.S. President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine following his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, a White House official said, deepening the fissure that has opened between the two former allies.
The move comes after Trump upended U.S. policy on Ukraine and Russia upon taking office in January, adopting a more conciliatory stance towards Moscow. It also follows an explosive confrontation with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, during which Trump criticized him for being insufficiently grateful for Washington’s support in the war with Russia.
“President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” said the official on Monday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The White House had no immediate comment on the scope and amount of aid affected or how long the pause would last. The Pentagon could not provide further details.
Zelenskyy’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, nor did the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.
Democrats in the U.S. Congress denounced the move.
“By freezing military aid to Ukraine, President Trump has kicked the door wide open for Putin to escalate his violent aggression against innocent Ukrainians. The repercussions will undoubtedly be devastating,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
On Monday, Trump reiterated that Zelenskyy should be more appreciative of American support after responding angrily to an Associated Press report quoting Zelenskiy as saying that the end of the war is “very, very far away.”
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, using an alternative spelling of the Ukrainian leader’s name.
MINERALS DEAL NOT DEAD, SAYS TRUMP
Since Russia’s invasion three years ago, the U.S. Congress has approved $175 billion in total assistance for Ukraine, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The Trump administration inherited $3.85 billion worth of Congressionally-approved authority to dip into U.S. arms stocks for Ukraine. However, given the growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv, it was already unlikely that this assistance would be used.
Monday’s move goes beyond the no-new-aid stance Trump has taken since assuming office and appears to halt deliveries of military equipment approved by Biden, including munitions, missiles, and other systems.
Despite his frustration with Kyiv, Trump suggested on Monday that a deal to open up Ukraine’s mineral resources to U.S. investment could still be agreed upon. This comes as European leaders float proposals for a truce in Russia’s war with its neighbor.
The Trump administration views a minerals deal as a way for the U.S. to recoup some of the tens of billions of dollars it has provided to Ukraine in financial and military aid since Russia’s invasion.
When asked on Monday if the deal was dead, Trump said at the White House: “No, I don’t think so.”
Trump described it as a “great deal for us” and said he would provide an update on the situation on Tuesday night when he addresses a joint session of Congress.
SECURITY GUARANTEES
In an interview on Fox News, Vice President JD Vance called on Zelenskyy to accept the minerals deal.
“If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Vance said.
Zelenskyy has made it clear that a ceasefire must include explicit security guarantees from the West to prevent Russia, which currently holds about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, from attacking again. However, Trump has refused to provide such guarantees.
Beyond military aid, U.S. assistance to Ukraine also includes budgetary support—largely delivered through a World Bank trust fund—as well as funds channeled through the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been significantly curtailed by the Trump White House.
The U.S. decision left many questions unanswered, including whether munitions for already-delivered weapons systems can still be supplied and whether the U.S. will continue sharing intelligence with Ukraine for target identification and missile launches.
Key members of congressional oversight committees, including those on the Senate Armed Services Committee, were not notified of the decision, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Razom for Ukraine, a Ukrainian advocacy group, condemned the White House’s decision on aid.
“By abruptly halting military assistance to Ukraine, President Trump is hanging Ukrainians out to dry and giving Russia the green light to keep marching west,” the group said in a statement.
EUROPE SEEKS PEACE PLAN
Before the White House decided to halt aid, European nations were rallying around Zelenskyy and attempting to devise a peace plan.
Privately—and sometimes publicly—officials are expressing frustration at what they see as a betrayal of Ukraine, which had enjoyed staunch support from Washington since Russia’s invasion.
France, Britain, and potentially other European countries have offered to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire—something Moscow has already rejected—but they insist they would require U.S. support or a “backstop.”
However, the Hungarian government, a vocal critic of EU sanctions against Moscow and the bloc’s financial and military support for Ukraine, welcomed Trump’s pause in military aid.
“The U.S. President and the Hungarian government share the same stance: instead of continuing weapons shipments and prolonging the war, a ceasefire and peace talks are needed as soon as possible,” Hungary’s government said.
Reuters
