How to read this story
Politics
Political Report
Eastern Europe · Russia · Ukraine
Public power, representation and democratic consequence
Russia-Ukraine conflict: Trump holds up military aid to Ukraine as White House rift with Zelenskyy worsens
The United States Government under the administration of Donald Trump has held up all military aid to Ukraine over worsening rift.
Trump administration has suspended military aid as confirmed by a White House official in an official statement.
According to the statement, the United States government has blocked billions in crucial shipments in a bid to stiffen pressure on Ukraine to force peace with Vladimir Putin.
This has come as a shocking showdown in the White House, on Friday, when the United States president told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was “gambling with” a third war, and the Ukrainian president was asked to return “when he is ready for peace.”
In an interview with a senior administration officer, “this is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause”.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Trump Holds Up Military Aid To Ukraine
As it can be recalled, few days ago, Bloomberg reported that all US military equipment, to Ukraine, would be put on hold, including weapons being transported through land, air and water, waiting in the transit area of Poland.
Reports also indicated that Trump has ordered the defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, to carry on with the plans.
The decision was made following a a White House meeting comprising the Vice-president JD Vance; Hegseth: the secretary of state, the director of National Intelligence, Narcis Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard; and Trump’s envoy from the Middle East, Steve Witkoft.
“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 told the Washington Post. “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
The United States Congress had, initially, approved total sum of $175bn for Ukraine since Russia invaded the country almost three years ago, as reported by nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Before leaving officer in December, the US immediate-past president Joe Biden announced an additional $5.9bn, for Ukraine, in security and budget assistance.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Trump Holds Up Military Aid To Ukraine
The US support for Ukraine includes, military aid, budgetary assistance wholly delivered through a World Bank trust fund, and other financial aid that have been delivered through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which remains throttled since Trump assumed power on 20th January, 2025.
Some of the funds sent to Ukraine by the US in order to assist the warred country to pay salaries of teachers and doctors, and ensures the continuity of government which might allow it to keep resisting Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine’s military aid from the United States has been facilitated through two programmes: Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which enhances quick weapon and equipment transfer from the United States to foreign countries without any need for congressional approval; and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), where military equipment is purchased from the defense military.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Trump Holds Up Military Aid To Ukraine
Overall, the US has vowed to help with $31.7bn worth of military aid to Ukraine through PDA. In totality, over $20bn, as reported, has been shipped.
Mainly, the announcement pertains to aid had been initially approved but not yet delivered. Since the inception of Trump’s second term, his administration has not assented to any new aid under his authority and a new congressional aid package is barely possible.
As reported earlier on Monday, Trump expressed his new outburst with Zelenskyy who indicated that the end of Russia-Ukraine was could be “very, very far away.”
In a social media post on Monday, Trump posted, in a link, to Associated Press story highlighting Zelenskyy’s remark and said, “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Trump Holds Up Military Aid To Ukraine
“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 US. Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”
Recalling last Monday when Trump noted that Zelenskyy ”won’t be around very long” unless he accedes to pressure and deals on UD terms.
“It should not be that hard a deal to make. It could be made very fast,” Trump told reporters, referring to a ceasefire. “Now, 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.”
the administration of Trump has also been reported to be drafting a plan on Monday to reinstate cooperation with Russia and lift sanctions on the Kremlin.
The White House has ordered the state and treasury department to come up with a list of sanctions that could make it easy for US officials to dissect with Russian representatives in the coming days as part of the administration’s intensive talk with Moscow on enhancing diplomatic and economic situations, reports from various media outlets claim.
On Monday, in an recorded interview before the proclamation of the suspension on military aid to Ukraine, Vance said that giving the United States an economic interest in the future of Ukraine would serve as a security guarantee−this comes as a reference to the mineral deal of which Zelenskyy was invited to Washington for, but only to be lambasted at the White House.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Trump Holds Up Military Aid To Ukraine
“If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Vance said. “That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Trump Holds Up Military Aid To Ukraine
