The United States will continue to withhold military assistance to Ukraine until President Donald Trump is satisfied with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s commitment to peace negotiations, the Wall Street Journal reported on 5 March.
The pause in aid follows a Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in the Oval Office on 28 February, which ended up with a heated argument about the deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and security guarantees for Ukraine. After the meeting Trump called Zelenskyy ungrateful.
On 3 March Trump cut off all US military assistance to Ukraine. Trump administration sources indicated that the aid freeze is a strategic move to pressure Zelenskyy into peace talks with Russia.
On 4 March Zelenskyy said that his meeting with US President at the White House “did not go the way it was supposed to be,” calling the fallout “regrettable.”
“Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace,” he wrote on social media. He outlined potential de-escalation steps, including prisoner exchanges and a cease-fire on missile and drone attacks.
Zelenskyy views a potential minerals agreement with the US as a potential pathway to rebuilding trust. He described the deal as “a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees.”
US officials remain uncertain whether Zelenskyy’s recent public statements will be sufficient to restart military support, the WSJ reported.
Read also:
- ISW: US military aid pause puts Ukrainian cities in unprotected zone of Russian missile strikes
- Russian attack on Odesa kills 73-year-old man, damages 20 private houses in oblast
- Trump’s administration, Ukraine prepare signing of minerals deal amid aid freeze
