The US has suspended all military aid to Ukraine until President Donald Trump determines that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is genuinely pursuing peace negotiations with Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. This decisive move represents the most significant shift yet in America's support for Kyiv since the conflict began.
"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 in a statement. "We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution."
The suspension comes just days after a tense White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy that ended without the expected signing of a minerals rights agreement. Sources indicated that Trump became frustrated after Zelenskyy suggested the war with Russia would continue for some time.
The Wall Street Journal noted that a senior administration official confirmed the decision followed multiple high-level meetings, with all of Trump's top national security advisers supporting the pause. "The Ukrainians didn't think we were serious," the official explained. "We had to make a demonstration."
The US has provided more than $120 billion in total aid since Russia's 2022 invasion, including $67.3 billion in military assistance. European nations have contributed an additional $138 billion in combined military and humanitarian aid, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a research group in Germany.
On Monday, Trump expressed frustration with the Ukrainian president, suggesting he should show more gratitude for American support. "This country has stuck with them through thick and thin," he remarked. The US president's comments followed his sharp rebuke of Zelenskyy on Truth Social, where he criticized the Ukrainian leader's recent assessment that the conflict with Russia would likely persist. "This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!" Trump wrote on the platform.
Ukraine advocates warned the decision could have severe consequences. "Stopping military aid to Ukraine is incredibly damaging to the United States and a sad day for American interests because it rewards our adversaries," Mykola Murskyj, director of advocacy at "Razom for Ukraine," said. "I can hear the Champagne popping in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran."
The White House has not specified what actions would constitute sufficient commitment to peace talks, leaving uncertainty about when or if aid might resume. Meanwhile, European leaders met in London over the weekend to formulate a peace plan that could include ground troops and additional military assets.
