Joe Biden is gone, and Europe and Ukraine have discovered that the new White House administration is not messing around. President Donald Trump has ordered a temporary suspension of U.S. aid to Ukraine following a tense Oval Office meeting, pressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate with Russia to bring an end to the war.
The administration is reviewing aid to ensure it aligns with diplomatic efforts, according to reports. The official stressed Trump’s focus on achieving a peace deal to resolve the conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Reuters writes that it’s a blow to Ukraine but not a disaster.
U.S. deliveries of military aid via Ukraine’s western border halted at 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT), a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, after U.S. President Donald Trump paused assistance late on Monday following an extraordinary clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week.
The move suspends any further drawdown from $3.85 billion of military aid approved by Congress that Trump inherited from his predecessor, Joe Biden. It also appears to halt deliveries of military equipment already approved by Biden.
“It’s pretty significant, but not nearly as impactful as it would have been earlier in the war because Ukraine is far less dependent on direct U.S. military assistance now than it was previously,” said Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment.
“But it will definitely affect Ukraine, and the effect will become more pronounced after a couple of months as inventories become depleted,” he told Reuters on Monday, shortly before the aid cut was announced.
The decision to pause aid reflects growing tension between Trump and Zelensky, as the president grows frustrated with what he sees as Ukraine’s unwillingness to pursue peace negotiations. Trump has previously suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin could serve as a reliable partner in maintaining peace under a negotiated agreement, but Democrats have encouraged Zelensky to blow up the deal.
Relations between the two leaders deteriorated further after a heated White House meeting last week. Sources familiar with the discussion revealed that Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelenskyy for what they perceived as a lack of gratitude for ongoing U.S. support. Tensions escalated after Zelensky, speaking in London, stated that a peace deal remained “very, very far away,” prompting a strong response from Trump. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the remark unacceptable and warned that leaders unwilling to negotiate “will not be listened to very long.”
Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Ukraine is open to diplomacy, but he insists that any agreement must guarantee long-term security. He reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to peace on social media, emphasizing that his country, more than any other, desires an end to the war.
