US President Donald Trump has ordered US military aid for Ukraine to be paused and reviewed after a very public disintegration of the relationship between the White House and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The decision is a continuation of Trump’s efforts to pressure the Ukrainian president to engage in peace talks with Russia, and comes days after the Oval Office spat between the two.
A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal to end the more than three-year war sparked by Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal.
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The official added that the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.
Earlier today, Trump criticised Zelenskyy for saying peace between Ukraine and Russia is “very, very far away”. He has previously claimed the Ukrainian president is “not ready” for peace.
Trump allies have been escalating pressure on Zelenskyy to dramatically change his approach to the US president or step aside.
The long-complicated relationship between the leaders has reached a nadir following the disastrous White House meeting in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance excoriated Zelenskyy for not being sufficiently thankful for US support for Ukraine.
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The US has been the biggest provider of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its illegal invasion in early 2022, but Trump has repeatedly talked of ending the war quickly while expressing frustration with Zelenskyy and praising Vladimir Putin.
Russia has supported Trump’s u-turn on Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling state TV on Sunday that US foreign policy is now “largely in line with our vision”.
The US has also suspended cyber operations against Russia.
Today’s development comes some five years after Trump held up congressionally authorised assistance to Ukraine in 2019 as he sought to pressure Zelenskyy to launch investigations into Joe Biden, then a Democratic presidential candidate.
The moment led to Trump’s first impeachment.
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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “open to consideration” of a proposal to put Australian troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force.
It came as Britain and France rallied fellow European nations to continue and increase support for Kyiv as the US steps away from backing its defence against Russian forces.
After a summit with European allies – as well as the NATO secretary-general and Turkish foreign minister – in London on Sunday, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Western powers would keep aid flowing to “support a just and enduring peace”.
“Our starting point must be to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position now, so that they can negotiate from a position of strength,” he said.
Starmer said the UK, France “and others” will work on a peace deal that will be put to the US afterwards, while reiterating his willingness to put British troops on the ground along with peacekeepers from another “coalition of the willing”.
He also said “strong US backing” was necessary for such a plan to succeed.
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