United States President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine in a dramatic escalation of his spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump will pause all aid until Kyiv is committed to what he determines are good-faith negotiations for peace, multiple US media outlets reported on Monday, citing unnamed Trump administration officials.
“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” an unnamed White House official was quoted as saying by multiple outlets.
“We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
The move came hours after Trump accused Zelenskyy of not wanting peace “as long he has America’s backing” in a post on Truth Social, escalating a war of words that culminated in a stunning public clash between the two leaders at the White House on Friday.
The decision to suspend the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in arms and ammunition that are in the pipeline is likely to deal a serious blow to Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia’s invasion.
While the US Congress has not approved any new military aid beyond the tens of billions of dollars already committed to Ukraine since Trump’s inauguration in January, former US President Joe Biden approved transfers to continue supplying equipment for at least several years.
The US has appropriated $182.8bn in response to Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the US Department of Defense, though that figure includes broader spending related to security, such as US military training in Europe.
Before Trump’s order, Washington was on track to supply monthly deliveries worth $920m this year, up from $500m in 2024, according to an analysis by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies and International Studies (CSIS).
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press last month, Zelenskyy said his country would have a “low chance to survive” without US support.
“As it was, Ukraine was barely hanging on, with the Russians hammering their front lines and making continuous though expensive gains,” Mark Cancian, a former US Marine Corps colonel who is a senior adviser with CSIS, told Al Jazeera.
“Without the US military aid, Ukrainian forces will gradually lose combat capability. My guess is that the Ukrainians can hold out for two to four months before their lines buckle and the Russians break through.”
The fresh nadir in US-Ukraine relations comes after Trump took issue with Zelenskyy’s suggestion that the end of his country’s war against Russia’s invading forces was likely still “very, very far away“.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said Zelenskyy “better not be right” and that the war should “end fast”.
“If somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long,” Trump said.
“That person will not be listened to very long.”
Speaking on X after Trump’s latest criticism, Zelenskyy did not directly refer to the US president’s remarks but said Kyiv would continue to work with partners.
“We have already had talks and other steps to come soon. It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible,” Zelenskyy said.
“We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our cities and towns. We lose our people. We need to stop the war and to guarantee security. We are working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace. Peace is needed as soon as possible.”
There was no immediate comment from Zelenskyy or his office on the pause in military aid.
We continue our work with partners. We have already had talks and other steps to come soon.
It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible.
We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 3, 2025
Trump’s move was widely condemned by Democratic lawmakers and other supporters of Ukraine.
Democratic US House of Representatives member Pramila Jayapal blasted the pause as a “shameful day in American history”.
“Let’s be clear – this is not about bringing peace. Donald Trump is siding with Russia, Putin, and dictators across the world over our allies and the defense of democracy,” Jayapal, who represents a district in Washington state, said on X.
Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia under former US President Barack Obama, labelled the move “tragic”.
“Trump delivers stick to democratic Ukraine. Trump gives nothing but carrots for autocratic, imperial Russia,” McFaul said on X.
“This is not strength. This is weakness.”
Trump’s decision is set to add new urgency to Europe’s efforts to support Ukraine and salvage negotiations to end the war.
European countries, led by the United Kingdom and France, are examining proposals for a peace deal after last week’s stunning rupture between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House.
“There are clearly a number of options on the table,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said on Monday.
The UK and France have expressed their willingness to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire but have called on the US to provide a “backstop” in the form of security guarantees.
Cancian, the CSIS adviser, said that filling the vacuum left by Trump’s pause would require a “substantially increased commitment from Europe”.
“That said, weapons do not materialise overnight. It will take time for any new European commitments to be delivered to Ukraine – it will be difficult for Europe to immediately fill the gap in equipment deliveries,” Cancian said.