The White House confirmed on Monday that the Trump administration has put a hold on U.S. military aid to Ukraine. This decision comes in the wake of a contentious meeting between President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, which escalated into a public dispute in front of TV cameras.
A White House official told CBS News, “The president 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.”
The U.S. has been a crucial provider of weapons to Ukraine as the country continues to defend against Russian troops following the invasion initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin three years ago. However, Mr. Trump’s return to office signifies a marked shift in U.S. policy regarding the conflict, with him blaming Ukraine for the war instigated by Russia.
The meeting on Friday, originally intended to set the stage for signing an economic and minerals agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine, devolved into a heated confrontation.
Trump urged Zelenskyy to negotiate a ceasefire with Russia or face a complete withdrawal of U.S. support, while Vance accused the Ukrainian president of disrespect after he questioned the vice president’s claim that the prolonging of the war was due to a lack of diplomacy from Ukraine and the Biden administration. The meeting concluded abruptly without the signing of the rare earth minerals deal, leaving several White House officials uncertain about the future of military aid for Ukraine.
Since Trump took office in January, there has been $3.85 billion available in drawdown authority for weaponry, which can be sourced from existing U.S. stockpiles and sent to Ukraine, according to U.S. officials. However, the Trump administration has not initiated a single shipment of this aid since January 21, as reported by a diplomatic source to CBS News on Monday. Still, there have been shipments of weapons to Ukraine that were previously pledged by the Biden administration in earlier drawdowns, according to defense officials.
The $3.85 billion represents spending authority rather than funds appropriated by Congress, placing the decision of aid release solely in the hands of the White House. Additionally, it is categorized as “not real money,” meaning it cannot be redirected for other uses.
In addition, the State Department has approximately $1.5 billion in foreign military financing for Ukraine undergoing policy evaluation by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Thus far, the Trump State Department has only provided Egypt and Israel with waivers for FMF assistance.
After the meeting on Friday, Zelenskyy traveled to London for a summit with European and Canadian leaders, where he underscored the need for Western security assurances as part of a potential agreement to end the conflict. He remarked in Ukrainian that peace with Russia was “still very, very far away,” but he remained hopeful about maintaining Ukraine-U.S. relations.
In response, Trump shared a link to an Associated Press article detailing Zelenskyy’s remarks, stating, “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!”
“It’s evident that this guy doesn’t want peace as long as he has America’s backing. Furthermore, during their discussion, Europe clearly stated that they cannot handle this situation without the U.S. – probably not a savvy comment in terms of demonstrating strength against Russia. What are they thinking?” Trump commented.
Trump’s toughened stance on Ukraine has frustrated some Republican lawmakers.
Senator Susan Collins from Maine expressed on Monday, “I do not think we should be pausing our efforts. It’s the Ukrainians who are paying the price. It’s Putin who initiated an unprovoked and unjustifiable attack on a free, democratic, and sovereign nation. I will continue to support Ukraine.”
Prior to the announcement from the Trump administration on Monday, Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota and member of the Armed Services Committee, stated regarding Ukraine, “We need to get back on track.”
“It’s essential to finalize a minerals agreement and to establish a security arrangement with Ukraine,” Rounds informed reporters at the Capitol. “They’ve been attacked. Russia is in the wrong, but we must seek a pathway to peace, which requires a mediator. Whether the president wants to be that mediator is uncertain. Nevertheless, Russia is the aggressor, and we need to make that clear.”
Last month, Trump mentioned he had a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and directed Rubio, along with other members of his national security team, to “immediately” begin negotiations to resolve Russia’s war against Ukraine.
However, Rubio indicated in February that there was “a long way to go” before peace talks could commence.
Delegations led by Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, subsequent to those remarks, without any Ukrainian officials in attendance. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated post-meeting that Rubio and Lavrov had agreed to establish “high-level teams to start working on a path to end the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all parties.”
