US Pauses All Military Aid To Ukraine Days After Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office Spat

Last Updated:March 04, 2025, 08:09 IST

President Donald Trump suspended all military aid to Ukraine, according to reports, sharply increasing pressure on Kyiv to give its nod to peace negotiations with Russia.

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. (AFP Photo)

President Donald Trump paused all military aid to Ukraine, according to reports, sharply increasing pressure on Kyiv to give its nod to peace negotiations with Russia.

The development comes just days after Trump’s stunning public clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

“The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well," a White House official said, as reported AFP.

Sources told CNN that the pause is expected to be in place until Trump feels that the country’s leaders have shown a good-faith commitment to peace. “This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause," a Trump administration official said.

Notably, Trump recently emphasised on Russia-Ukraine peace deal, suggesting that those who are unwilling to negotiate won’t last long. He also expressed that Russia is willing to reach an agreement.

“It should not be that hard a deal to make. It could be made very fast. Maybe somebody doesn’t want to make a deal and if somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long…Because I believe that Russia wants to make a deal," Trump said in his recent media interaction.

Zelenskyy Faces Trump’s Scorn

Notably, Zelenskyy recently said that a deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia “is still very, very far away," facing sharp criticism from Trump.

Zelenskyy also expressed that Ukraine’s long-term partnership with the United States is so strong that American support would continue despite his tense relations with Trump.

In response, Trump called it the worst statement Zelenskyy could have made, adding that America would not tolerate it much longer, seemingly hinting at the potential withdrawal of crucial US support for Ukraine.

In a post on Truth Social, the US president said Zelenskyy doesn’t want peace as long as he has the backing of America and Europe.

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer! 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 Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?" Trump wrote.

Trump-Zelenskyy Public Clash

Zelenskyy, who arrived at the White House on Friday with prospects to meet and sign a minerals deal with his US counterpart, faced an unprecedented dressing down in front of the global media.

The aftermath of the fiery spat was so intense that no deal was signed, no joint statement was released, and Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House in a clear dismissal.

While Vice-President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful, President Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart that he was “gambling with World War Three".

The entire heated episode began when Vance said that Ukraine could achieve peace with Russia through diplomacy. Zelenskyy pointed out that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had consistently violated previous agreements.

Replying to Vance’s “diplomacy for peace" remark, Zelenskyy pointed to Russia’s aggression in the years leading up to its full-scale invasion three years ago, including a failed ceasefire in 2019. “Nobody stopped him," he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He (Putin) killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners," Zelenskyy said. “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?"

The exchange quickly became visibly tense, with Vance responding, “The kind that will end the destruction of your country." He then accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful and “litigating" the situation in front of the American media.

Vance continued to push back Zelenskyy, claiming that Ukraine is forcing conscripts to the frontlines because it has “manpower problems".

Reacting to it, Zelensky replied: “During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel it now, but you will feel it in the future."

That comment irked Trump and drew him into the clash, which had until then been confined to Zelenskyy and the vice president.

“You don’t know that, don’t tell us what we are going to feel. We are trying to solve a problem. You are in no position to dictate that… You have allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. You don’t have the cards right now, with us you start having cards. You are gambling with the lives of millions of people. You are gambling with World War Three. And what you are doing is very disrespectful to this country," Trump said.

The Trump administration was to negotiate an agreement with Ukraine that would grant the US access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for the support it has provided since the war began in 2022, as part of the peace deal.

After the meeting, Trump told reporters, “That was not a man (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky) that wanted to make peace, and I am only interested if he (Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky) wants to end the bloodshed."

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