PRESIDENT Donald Trump directed a “pause” to US assistance to Ukraine on Monday following a tense Oval Office meeting last week.
The pause comes into effect as Trump seeks to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia, PA reports.
The pause follows a tense Oval Office meeting in which Trump and vice president JD Vance berated Zelenskyy for what they perceived as insufficient gratefulness for the more than 180 billion dollars (£142.2bn) in military aid the US has sent to Kyiv since Russia invaded three years ago.
A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal.
The official added that the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”.
The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, the official said.
The halting of military aid comes some five years after Trump held up congressionally authorised assistance to Ukraine as he sought to pressure Zelenskyy to launch an investigation into Joe Biden, then a Democratic presidential candidate. The moment led to Trump’s first impeachment.
In the leadup to the 2024 election, Trump vowed a quick end to the war in Ukraine, even once boasting that he could bring a halt to the fighting in one day.
He has shown increasing frustration with Zelenskyy over the war while simultaneously expressing confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has long admired, can be trusted to keep the peace if a truce is reached.
Trump on Monday criticised Zelenskyy for suggesting that the end of the war likely “is still very, very far away”.
Zelenskyy had suggested it would take time to come to an agreement to end the war as he tried to offer a positive take on the US-Ukraine relationship in the aftermath of last week’s White House meeting.
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, responding to comments Zelensky made late on Sunday to reporters.
Scottish politicians have been highly critical of the US president in recent days, with one SNP MP saying that Trump “should not be welcome” in Scotland.
First Minister John Swinney had also previously confirmed that Scottish soldiers could be Ukraine by the end of the year.
The Trump administration and Ukrainian officials had been expected to sign off on a deal during Zelenskyy visit last week that would have given the US access to Ukraine’s critical minerals in part to pay back the US for aid it has sent Kyiv since the start of the war.
The White House had billed the pact as a way to tighten US-Ukrainian relations in the long term.
Trump on Monday suggested he has not given up on the economic pact, calling it “a great deal”. He added that he expected to speak to the deal during his Tuesday address before a joint session of Congress.
