(CNBC) U.S. President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine following his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, a White House official said, deepening the fissure that has opened between the one-time allies.
Trump upended U.S. policy on Ukraine and Russia upon taking office in January, opening talks with Moscow. The reversal culminated in an explosive confrontation with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, in which Trump upbraided him for being insufficiently grateful for Washington’s backing.
“President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” said the official on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The White House had no immediate comment on the scope and amount of aid affected or how long the pause would last. The Pentagon could not provide further details.
There was no immediate response from Zelenskyy, but Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said it looked like Trump was “pushing us towards capitulation”.
Democrats in the U.S. Congress were furious.
“By freezing military aid to Ukraine, President Trump has kicked the door wide open for Putin to escalate his violent aggression against innocent Ukrainians. The repercussions will undoubtedly be devastating,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The move puts more pressure on European allies, led by Britain and France, whose leaders both visited the White House last week and have publicly embraced Zelenskyy since the Oval Office blow-up.
Europeans are racing to boost their own military spending and provide alternative support for Kyiv, including a plan to put troops on the ground to support any ceasefire, though they say they still need some form of U.S. support.
France condemned Washington’s cut-off of aid, while Britain was more circumspect.
Suspending arms to Ukraine made peace “more distant, because it only strengthens the hand of the aggressor on the ground, which is Russia,” said French junior minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad.
A British government spokesperson said: “We remain absolutely committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine and are engaging with key allies in support of this effort. It is the right thing to do, and is in our interest to do so.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled proposals to boost spending on defence in the EU, which she said could mobilise up to 800 billion euros ($840 billion). The EU is holding an emergency summit on Thursday.
On Monday, Trump again said Zelenskyy should be more appreciative of American support after earlier responding angrily to an Associated Press report quoting Zelenskyy as saying the end of the war was “very, very far away.”
“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 Truth Social, using an alternative spelling of the Ukrainian leader’s name.
Minerals deal not dead, says Trump
Since Russia’s invasion three years ago, the U.S. Congress has approved $175 billion in total assistance for Ukraine, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The Trump administration inherited $3.85 billion worth of Congressionally approved authority to dip into U.S. arms stocks for Ukraine. Monday’s move also appeared to halt deliveries of military equipment approved by former President Joe Biden, including munitions, missiles and other systems.
Still, Trump suggested on Monday that a deal to open up Ukraine’s minerals to U.S. investment could still be agreed. The deal was meant to be signed in Washington on Friday before Zelenskyy departed after the Oval Office bust-up.
When asked on Monday if the deal was dead, Trump said at the White House: “No, I don’t think so.”
In an interview on Fox News, Vice President JD Vance called on Zelenskyy to accept the minerals deal.
“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.
Zelenskyy has made clear that a ceasefire must carry explicit security guarantees from the West to ensure that Russia, which holds about 20% of its land, does not attack again. Trump has so far refused to give any such guarantees.
Washington has not spelled out whether the pause on aid would halt munitions for weapons systems that were already supplied, or if the U.S. would still share intelligence with Ukraine on target identification and missile launches.
Key members of congressional oversight committees were not notified of the decision, including those on the Senate Armed Services Committee, a person with knowledge told Reuters.
