U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a halt and reassessment of military aid to Ukraine, following a public breakdown in relations between the White House and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This decision extends Trump's previous efforts to pressure Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia and occurred after a dispute between the two in the Oval Office.
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03-04, 2025A White House official stated that Trump is focused on reaching a peace agreement to end the three-year-plus war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and wants Zelenskyy to be "committed" to that goal. The official added that the U.S. is "pausing and reviewing" its aid to "ensure it helps lead to a solution." The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the aid matter.
This comes after Trump criticized Zelenskyy, saying that peace between Ukraine and Russia is "very, very far away." He had previously claimed that the Ukrainian president was "not ready" for peace. Trump's allies have been increasing pressure on Zelenskyy to drastically change his attitude toward the U.S. president or he should step down.
The long-complex relationship between the two leaders has reached a low point after Trump and Vice President JD Vance harshly accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful enough for U.S. support for Ukraine. The United States has been the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine since Russia's illegal invasion began in early 2022, but Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to quickly end the war, while expressing displeasure with Zelenskyy and praising Vladimir Putin.
Russia has supported Trump's shift on Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television on Sunday that U.S. foreign policy now "largely aligns with our vision." The U.S. has also paused cyber operations against Russia. Furthermore, back in 2019, Trump withheld congressionally approved aid to Ukraine in an attempt to force Zelenskyy to investigate then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, an event that led to Trump's first impeachment.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he is "willing to consider" a proposal to deploy Australian troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force. This comes as the UK and France have joined other European nations in continuing and increasing support for Kyiv as the US ceases its support for Ukraine's resistance to Russian forces. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said after a summit in London on Sunday with European allies, as well as the NATO Secretary-General and the Turkish Foreign Minister, that Western nations will continue to provide aid to Ukraine in "support of a just and lasting peace."
Starmer stated: "Our starting point must be to now get Ukraine in as strong a position as possible so that they can negotiate from a position of strength." Starmer said the UK, France "and other countries" will work towards a peace agreement, which would then be presented to the US, while reiterating his willingness to deploy British troops alongside peacekeepers from another "coalition of the willing." He also stated that "strong U.S. support" would be necessary for such a plan to succeed.
