Trump halts US military aid to Ukraine after WH talks breakdown

A senior White House official says President Donald Trump has ordered a temporary halt to US military aid for Ukraine.

The official suggested on Monday that the pause is aimed at reviewing whether the assistance is helping bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

“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 official said.

The move comes days after a meeting between Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House descended into a heated argument.

US media outlet Bloomberg has quoted a senior US Defense Department official as saying that the pause in military aid will continue until Trump determines that Ukrainian leaders “demonstrate a good-faith commitment to peace.”

The official also said that the delivery of all US military equipment not currently in Ukraine would be paused, including weapons in transit on aircraft and ships or waiting in transit areas in Poland.

The breakdown of talks at the White House saw Trump and Zelenskyy put off signing an agreement to share Ukraine’s mineral resources.

Trump wrote in his social media post after the meeting that Zelenskyy “doesn’t want there to be Peace.” Still, Trump said on Monday that that the minerals agreement was a “great deal for us.”

Observers say the pause in US military aid is apparently aimed at pressuring Kyiv, so that talks on a ceasefire can move forward at Trump’s initiative.