The United States is temporarily suspending military aid to Ukraine, the newspaper headline says. “Financial Times“, BTA reported in the press review.
The British publication notes that the US is taking this step at a time when US President Donald Trump is trying to increase pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to make concessions - just a few days after the two leaders publicly entered into a verbal clash at the White House over peace talks with Russia.
Trump's decision suspends regular deliveries of US military aid, including weapons, to Kiev.
It comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Trump and Zelensky, as the US president tries to push Ukraine towards a quick settlement of the conflict with Russia.
“The president has made it clear that he is focused on peace. Our partners also need to be committed to this goal. "We are suspending and reviewing our assistance to ensure it contributes to finding a solution," a White House official said earlier today.
The move came after Trump renewed his verbal attack on Ukraine's president on social media and in remarks to reporters at the White House yesterday, following a dramatic confrontation in the Oval Office on Friday.
Trump's decision will add urgency to efforts by many European countries to step up their own military support for Kiev, as a prolonged pause in US aid could give Russian forces a major advantage on the battlefield, the Financial Times reported.
The Institute for the Study of War in Washington warned that the decision to end US aid "would directly undermine President Trump's stated goal of achieving a sustainable peace in Ukraine“.
“Russia will use the suspension of US aid to Ukraine to seize more territory in Ukraine and try to exhaust European support - an approach that Putin has outlined in his theory of victory,“ the institute added.
Trump's move comes after a weekend of intense diplomatic activity in Europe, including a summit hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a plan for a month-long ceasefire proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron in an attempt to reach an agreement on better terms for Kiev.
Trump is trying to negotiate a deal with Kiev for access to Ukrainian minerals. The agreement, which US officials see as key to Washington's support for Ukraine, has been shelved after the White House standoff.
However, Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania said yesterday that he had spoken with Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, and believed that a deal was imminent.
US Democrats immediately attacked the suspension of military aid and called for it to be reversed.
“Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally cut off financial aid to Ukraine is reckless, unjustified and poses a direct threat to our national security,“ said Congressman Brendan Boyle, a Democrat from Pennsylvania.
“The world is watching us, and we cannot afford to let Trump's reckless actions undermine our commitment to our allies and to democracy itself“, added the Democratic congressman.
The US has temporarily suspended all military aid to Ukraine, a White House official said, following the scandal between Trump and Zelensky, reports the Guardian newspaper.
The decision affects the supply of ammunition, combat vehicles and other equipment, including supplies agreed when Joe Biden was president.
It comes after a dramatic turn of events at the White House on Friday, during which Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky that he was “playing“ with World War III. The Ukrainian president was told to return "when he is ready for peace," the British publication said.
A senior US government official told Fox News that "this is not a permanent end to aid, but a pause." Bloomberg reported that all US military equipment not in Ukraine would be left with Kiev, including weapons being transported by planes and ships or waiting in transit zones in Poland.
The agency added that Trump had ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett to implement the decision.
The decision was made after a meeting at the White House involving Vice President J.D. Vance, Hegsett, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Trump’s Middle East envoy Stephen Witkoff, the Guardian reported.
According to the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the US Congress has approved a total of $175 billion in aid for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion nearly three years ago. In December, just before he left office, Joe Biden announced an additional $5.9 billion. dollars to support Ukraine's security and budget.
US aid to Ukraine includes military aid, budget support, largely provided through a World Bank trust fund, and other funds that were provided through the US Agency for International Development, whose functioning was restricted by the Trump administration.
Some of the money sent by the US to Ukraine helps the country pay teachers and doctors and keep the government running, allowing it to focus on fighting the Russian invasion, the Guardian notes.
Trump's decision mainly concerns aid that has been approved but not yet sent. Since taking office, Trump has not approved any new aid under his own presidential powers, and a new aid package from Congress seems unlikely, at least in the short term, the British publication commented.
Earlier yesterday, it was also reported that the Trump administration was drawing up a plan to restore ties with Russia and lift sanctions against Moscow.
The White House has asked the State and Treasury departments to prepare a list of sanctions that could be eased so that US officials can discuss it with Russian officials in the coming days as part of broader talks between Washington and Moscow to improve diplomatic and economic relations, Reuters reported, citing a US official and another person familiar with the matter.
US President Donald Trump has cut off all US military aid to Ukraine in a show of force after he rebuked Zelensky in the Oval Office last week in an attempt to pressure him to back to the negotiating table, writes the publication “Politico“.
In public comments yesterday, however, Trump made it clear that the economic agreement for which Zelensky had come to Washington remains on the table. The carrot-and-stick approach is aimed at forcing Zelensky to engage in broader negotiations to end the war with Russia.
A U.S. government official close to the process, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said Trump and his senior team continue to believe that a relatively quick end to the war that Russia started three years ago is possible and are seeking to get Zelensky to tone down his own rhetoric so they can bring both sides to talks, Politico reported.
“There is a potential window with Russia,” the official said, adding: “You're not going to get Putin to the table by calling him names.”
”What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he regrets what happened, that is ready to sign this mineral deal and that he is ready to participate in the peace talks“, Trump's national security adviser Mike Walz told “Fox News“ yesterday.
“I just think he should be more grateful because this country has supported them through all the hardships“, Trump said of Zelensky.
American lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern about Trump's move to temporarily suspend aid to Ukraine.
“The bad thing is that Iran, North Korea and China are not stopping their military aid and their economic support“, Nebraska Republican Congressman Don Bacon told “Politico“ and added: “There is an invader and a victim, there is a democracy and a dictatorship, there is a country that wants to be part of the West and one that hates the West. We must be unequivocally on the good side.“
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters that Trump's decision comes at a critical moment for Ukraine on the battlefield. “I don't think we should stop our efforts,“ she said, adding: “The Ukrainians are the ones who are shedding blood.“
The looming prospect of Trump's reconciliation with Putin is adding greater urgency to European efforts to craft their own plan to take a bigger role in Ukraine's defense if and when it reaches an agreement to end the war, Politico noted.“
Donald Trump brutally froze military aid to Ukraine to get Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a ceasefire, the French newspaper “Monde“ headlines.
The White House has decided to stop all supplies of weapons and ammunition to Kiev. The goal is to force the Ukrainian president to accept an unconditional ceasefire and apologize after the heated confrontation in the Oval Office, the French publication says.
Through blackmail and harassment, the Trump government is trying to subjugate Volodymyr Zelensky. Three days after the stormy meeting between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart, today the White House offered Moscow another unexpected gift. It has decided to freeze all supplies of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, which fell victim to the Russian invasion in 2022, notes “Monde“.
In three years, the US has spent 67 billion dollars (64 billion euros) in military aid to Ukraine. Today, the American administration no longer treats the country as an ally, but prefers to humiliate it and make it more vulnerable. In the name of equal concern for the dead on both sides, Donald Trump wants to force a ceasefire by any means necessary. To achieve this, he is turning his back on the victim and on his European NATO allies, who have renewed their firm commitment to Ukraine, the French publication summarizes.