Hours after accusing the Ukrainian leader of not desiring peace, the US president reportedly took this action.
President Donald Trump of the United States has dramatically escalated his spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by pausing military supplies to Ukraine.
According to anonymous Trump administration sources cited by many US media sites on Monday, Trump will suspend all funding until Kyiv commits to what he considers to be sincere peace talks.
The president has made it apparent that peace is his top priority. Multiple sites cited an unidentified White House official as adding, “We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well”.
“To make sure that our assistance is helping to find a solution, we are stopping and evaluating it “.
The action was taken just hours after Trump accused Zelenskyy in a post on Truth Social of not seeking peace “as long as he has America’s backing”, sparking a verbal spat that ended in a stunning public altercation between the two leaders at the White House on Friday.
Ukraine’s attempts to stave off Russia’s invasion are expected to suffer a severe setback as a result of the decision to halt the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of planned weapons and ammunition.
Former US President Joe Biden allowed transfers to continue providing equipment for at least a few years, but the US Congress has not approved any additional military aid beyond the tens of billions of dollars already promised to Ukraine since Trump’s inauguration in January.
According to the US Department of Defense, the US has authorized $182.8 billion in reaction to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; however, that amount includes more general security-related spending, including as US military training in Europe.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based in Washington, estimated that before to Trump’s decision, Washington was on schedule to deliver $920 million a month this year, rising from $500 million in 2024.
Zelenskyy stated last month that his nation would have a “low chance to survive” without US assistance in an appearance with NBC’s Meet the Press.
According to Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser with CSIS, “as it was, Ukraine was barely hanging on, with the Russians hammering their front lines and making continuous though expensive gains”, he told Al Jazeera.
Ukrainian forces’ ability to fight will progressively deteriorate in the absence of US military assistance. I predict that the Ukrainian will be able to hold out for two to four months before the Russians breach their defenses.
Following Trump’s criticism of Zelenskyy’s assertion that the conclusion of his nation’s battle against Russia’s invading forces was probably still “very, very far away”, ties between the US and Ukraine have reached yet another low point.
Trump stated that the war should “end fast” and that Zelenskyy “better not be right” during his remarks at the White House on Monday.
Trump stated, “I think that person won’t be around for very long if they don’t want to make a deal”.
“We won’t listen to that person for very long”.
After Trump’s most recent criticism, Zelenskyy spoke on X and stated that Kyiv would keep working with partners, without specifically mentioning the US president’s comments.
“We’ve already had discussions, and more will follow shortly. In order to put an end to this war as quickly as possible, it is crucial that we attempt to make our diplomacy truly substantive”, Zelenskyy stated.
“Because the war destroys our cities and towns, we need true peace, and Ukrainian want it most”. Our people are lost. We must ensure security and put an end to the fighting. We are collaborating with America and our European allies, and we fervently hope that the United States will help us achieve peace. We must have peace as quickly as possible.
Zelenskyy and his staff did not immediately comment on the military aid halt.
We keep working with partners. We’ve already had discussions and will soon take more action.
To put an end to this war as quickly as possible, it is crucial that we make an effort to make our diplomacy truly substantive. Since the war destroys our lives, Ukrainians are the ones who most need true peace.
-March 3, 2025 – Volodymyr Zelenskyy/ Володимир Зеленcький (@ZelenskyyUa)
Democrats and other pro-Ukraine advocates strongly denounced Trump’s action.
Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat in the US House of Representatives, denounced the stoppage as a “shameful day in American history”.
To be clear, the goal of this is not to promote peace. Jayapal, who represents a district in Washington state, claimed on X that Donald Trump is supporting dictators worldwide, Russia, and Putin over our allies.
Former US President Barack Obama’s envoy to Russia, Michael McFaul, called the action “tragic”.
“Trump gives democratic Ukraine a stick”. McFaul stated on X that Trump just provides dictatorial, imperial Russia with carrots.
This isn’t a sign of strength. This is a sign of weakness.
Trump’s move is expected to increase the urgency of Europe’s efforts to aid Ukraine and salvage war-ending talks.
After the shocking breakup between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House last week, European nations-led by the United Kingdom and France-are looking at peace deal alternatives.
A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated on Monday that “there are obviously a number of options on the table”.
In the case of a truce, the UK and France have stated that they would be willing to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine; however, they have urged the US to offer a “backstop” in the form of security guarantees.
CSIS advisers Cancian stated that a “substantially increased commitment from Europe” would be necessary to fill the void left by Trump’s delay.
However, weapons do not appear overnight. Any additional European promises to Ukraine will take time to materialize, and Europe won’t be able to quickly make up the equipment delivery shortfall”, Cancian stated.
