US suspends all military aid to Ukraine in wake of Trump-Zelensky row
US President Donald Trump has ordered a temporary suspension of all military aid to Ukraine until the government in kyiv "demonstrates a good faith commitment to peace," White House officials told US media.
A Trump administration source said the suspension affects U.S. military equipment not currently in Ukraine, including weapons being transported by plane and ship or waiting in transit zones in Poland.
The decision comes after a tense meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday that ended without a deal on Ukrainian rare earths being signed.
"The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to commit to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our assistance to make sure it is contributing to a solution," a White House official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement after the news broke saying that President Trump is the only leader in the world who now has a chance to end the war in Ukraine and do so in a lasting way.
"We want to bring the Russians to the negotiating table. We want to explore whether peace is possible," Rubio said.
More pressure on Zelensky
The US announcement puts new pressure on the Ukrainian president, who Washington hopes will sign an agreement on the exploitation of his country's mineral resources by American companies and whom Trump accused during their disagreement in the Oval Office of "not being ready for peace."
Zelensky said Sunday that a peace deal "is still very, very far away." Trump, for his part, said in a post on his social network, Truth Social, on Monday that this was "the worst message Zelensky could have sent and the United States will not tolerate it much longer." Shortly afterwards, the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine was announced.
"Basically, the Trump administration wants President Zelensky to sign the minerals deal and 'make peace' with Russia, without giving him the security guarantees he wants," says BBC North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal.
US Vice President JD Vance, who played a leading role in the White House's televised spat with Zelensky, said in an interview with Fox News recorded hours before the suspension of military aid to Ukraine became known that "Zelensky showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process" and added that "he will eventually come to it."
A crucial support
The United States and its European NATO allies have been supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022.
The Biden administration has approved multi-billion dollar aid packages, which Trump has long criticized, that have helped Ukrainian forces contain the Russian advance.
Leading European countries, along with Canada and Türkiye, met in London on Sunday and pledged to Zelensky to continue sending military aid to Ukraine and presented a peace proposal demanding respect for Ukrainian sovereignty.
But even British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, its chief advocate, has said its viability depends on American security guarantees, on which President Trump has so far refused to compromise.