Donald Trump pauses all military aid to Ukraine days after clashing with Zelensky
President Donald Trump has paused all US military aid shipments to Ukraine just days after clashing with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
There has not yet been any indication how long the pause will last, nor has there been any comment from Ukraine.
A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: ‘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.
https://metro.co.uk/video/president-trump-alludes-hell-suspend-military-aid-ukraine-3385771/?ito=vjs-link
The decision came just hours after Trump publicly berated Ukrainian president Zelensky for suggesting that any notion of a peace plan with Russia ‘is still very, very far away’.
Reacting to his remarks on social media, Trump described Zelensky’s words as the ‘worst statement that could have been made.
‘It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US – probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia.
‘What are they thinking?”
He later said European countries had ‘acted very well’ and were ‘good people’.
‘We’re going to make deals with everybody to get this war (finished), including Europe and European nations. And they’ve acted very well. You know, they’re good people … they want to work it out,’ Mr Trump said at the White House
Zelensky responded to Trump’s outburst by posting on X that Ukraine was ‘working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace’.
‘Peace is needed as soon as possible,’ he said.
It comes as US Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of ‘needling’ Trump and having a ‘certain sense of entitlement’ during their now-infamous talks at the White House last week
During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity early on Tuesday, Mr Vance said the encounter, which happened in front of the media, ‘really set Zelensky off’.
‘He showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process that President Trump said is the policy,’ he said.
‘That’s the real breakdown. I think Zelensky wasn’t yet there. And frankly, still isn’t there. But I think he’ll get there eventually, he has to.’
Mr Vance confirmed Ukrainian officials made at least one attempt to restart negotiations after leaving the White House, but efforts were shut down by Mr Trump.
He also used the interview as an opportunity to criticise Europe’s approach to the Ukraine war, suggesting leaders were saying different things in public than they were in private.
Speaking to Hannity, he said: ‘Here’s the problem with the Europeans … they need to be realistic and the craziest part about this, Sean, is sometimes you have European heads of state who in public will puff up their chest and say, ‘We’re in this with President Zelensky for the next 10 years.’
‘And in private they’ll pick up the phone and say, “This can’t go on forever, he has to come to the negotiating table.”
‘I honestly don’t care what the Europeans say in public, what I care is what they say in private.
‘And what they need to be saying to President Zelensky is this can’t go on forever, the bloodshed, the killing, the economic devastation, it’s making everyone worse off.’
The UK Government said this morning that it remains ‘absolutely committed’ to securing peace and will be ‘engaging with key allies in support of this effort’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘We remain absolutely committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine and are engaging with key allies in support of this effort. It is the right thing to do, and is in our interest to do so.