US President Donald Trump has cut off all US military assistance to Ukraine following a confrontational Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week. The White House announced the decision late on 3 March, with a White House official telling AP the suspension will remain in effect until Ukraine demonstrates “commitment” to peace negotiations with Russia.
Under the former Biden administration, the US provided Ukraine with more than $66 billion in military aid and weapons since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, leaving about $3.85 billion in congressionally authorized funding unspent. Since taking office in January, Trump has not approved any new aid packages for Ukraine.
AP reports that an anonymous White House official said:
“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.”
According to Bloomberg, this suspension affects billions of dollars in equipment already in the delivery pipeline, including ammunition, vehicles, and weapons currently in transit or waiting in Poland.
The Guardian says the decision came after high-level White House meetings involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Reason: “insufficient gratitude” to Trump
On 28 February during a meeting between Trump, Vance, and Zelenskyy at the White House, the US leaders berated the Ukrainian leader for what AP says Trump perceived as “insufficient gratitude” for the more than $180 billion in military aid the US has provided since Russia invaded three years ago.
Zelenskyy thanked US 33 times since 2022, contradicting Vance’s claims
AP says Trump’s frustration intensified on 3 March after Zelenskyy suggested to reporters that an agreement to end Russia’s war against Ukraine “is still very, very far away.” The US President responded on his Truth Social platform, writing:
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!”
The Guardian says that later that day, Trump warned that Zelenskyy “won’t be around very long” unless he agrees to his peace negotiations.
Kallas slams Trump, compares US-Russia talks to negotiating with bin Laden
CNN reports White House officials are seeking an acknowledgment from Zelenskyy about the breakdown in relations, potentially in the form of a public apology, before considering any resumption of aid.
Additionally, the Trump administration is also drawing up plans to restore ties with Russia and lift sanctions on the Kremlin, asking the state and treasury departments to draft a list of sanctions that could be eased, according to Reuters.
Impact on Ukraine’s defense and European efforts
Military analysts interviewed by CNN suggest Ukraine could sustain its current fighting pace for several weeks, perhaps until early summer, before the US pause begins to have a major effect. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned CNN of potentially severe consequences if the suspension continues.
“The impact is going to be big. I would call it crippling,” Cancian told CNN. “When your supplies get cut in half, eventually that shows up on the front lines. Their front lines would continue to buckle and eventually they would break and Ukraine would have to accept an adverse — even catastrophic — peace settlement.”
An unnamed European official described the decision as “petty and wrong,” telling CNN it will “immediately deepen distrust in the US government among the Ukrainian people” and predicted it would cause unnecessary civilian casualties as Ukraine runs out of air defense missiles.
Politico: Ukraine can keep fighting with European backing if US cuts aid
Le Monde reports that Britain and France are investigating a proposal for a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” – potentially supported by troops on the ground.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have proposed a “coalition of the willing,” with “boots on the ground and planes in the air,” according to CNN.
However, Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of national security and political science at the University of New Haven, expressed skepticism to CNN about Europe’s ability to replace US support, saying there are not “a whole lot of chances” that Trump would accept any deal that doesn’t force Ukraine to surrender territory to Russia.
Reuters quotes Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, saying Trump is pushing Ukraine toward surrender to Russia.
“To stop aid now means to help [Russian president Vladimir] Putin,” Merezhko told Reuters. “On the surface, this looks really bad. It looks like he is pushing us towards capitulation, meaning [accepting] Russia’s demands.”
History repeats itself
AP recalls that this is not the first time Trump has weaponized military aid to Ukraine. In 2019, he held up congressionally authorized assistance to Ukraine while pressuring Zelenskyy to launch an investigation into Joe Biden, then a Democratic presidential candidate at the time. That incident led to Trump’s first impeachment.
Related:
- European powers shift stance on frozen Russian asset seizure
- Trump administration drafting Russian sanctions relief proposal – Reuters
- Zelenskyy holds firm on not giving up territory, while Trump’s advisor pushes concessions
- Zelenskyy thanked US 33 times since 2022, contradicting Vance’s claims
- Trump orders 90-day pause on US foreign assistance programs, Kyiv says it doesn’t affect Ukraine aid (updated)
