U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended all military aid to Ukraine to pile up pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to peace negotiations with Russia.
A White House official is quoted by U.S. media as saying that the move blocked the shipment of billions of dollars of ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment, including weapons in transit on aircraft and ships that were agreed upon during the previous administration.
It comes just days after a verbal spat between American and Ukrainian presidents at the White House, with Trump accusing Zelensky of “gambling with” a third world war.
A day earlier, Trump had himself declined to rule out a pause in arms delivery to Kyiv when quizzed by reporters.
“The President has been clear that he is focused on peace... We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” an official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
“This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause,” Fox News quoted a senior administration official.
Trump reportedly ordered Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, to execute the pause following a meeting with Vice President, JD Vance; Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; and Intelligence Chief, Tulsi Gabbard.
Congressional Democrats condemned the move as dangerous and illegal. “My Republican colleagues who have called Putin a war criminal and promised their continued support to Ukraine must join me in demanding President Trump immediately lift this disastrous and unlawful freeze,” said Gregory Meeks, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The U.S. Congress has approved $175 billion in total assistance for Ukraine since Russia launched its special military operation in 2022. In December, Biden, before leaving his office, announced an additional $5.9 billion in aid.
Trump has not approved any new aid since taking office but has been seen largely engaging in tit-for-tat rhetoric with regard to Ukraine in recent weeks.
Earlier on Monday, he expressed new outrage at Zelensky for saying that the end of the war could be “very, very far away.”
Trump called the remark “the worst” that could have been made by the Ukrainian president, adding that Zelensky “won’t be around very long” unless he succumbs to pressure and makes a deal with Russia on U.S. terms.
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