Trump suspends Ukraine aid, demands peace talks with Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine on Monday, dramatically increasing pressure on Kyiv to engage in peace negotiations with Russia following a public clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” a White House official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity. “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

The freeze affects hundreds of millions of dollars in weaponry already in the pipeline for Ukraine, according to The New York Times, potentially crippling Ukraine’s defense capabilities against Russian forces.

The decision comes just days after a tense Oval Office meeting where Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance reportedly clashed with Zelenskyy over peace talks.

“He won’t be around very long” without a cease-fire deal with Moscow, Trump warned from the White House, adding that Zelenskyy should be “more appreciative” of U.S. support.

Congressional Democrats immediately condemned the move.

“My Republican colleagues who have called Putin a war criminal and promised their continued support to Ukraine must join me in demanding President Trump immediately lift this disastrous and unlawful freeze,” said Gregory Meeks, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Security guarantees vs Ukraine peace Talks

Zelenskyy, who has maintained that Russia is not serious about peace, said Monday he wants the war to end “as soon as possible” but insisted that security guarantees are essential.

“It was the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine 11 years ago that allowed Russia to start with the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, then the lack of security guarantees allowed Russia to launch a full-scale invasion,” Zelenskyy said in a video statement.

The Ukrainian president referenced his country’s 1994 decision to denuclearize in exchange for protection from the United States and Britain.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Zelenskyy for the diplomatic breakdown, claiming he “demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities” and “doesn’t want peace.”

European intervention

Meanwhile, Britain and France are working on a proposal for a one-month Ukraine-Russia truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure,” potentially supported by ground troops.

Zelenskyy characterized these discussions as “first steps,” adding that “an agreement on ending the war is very, very far away”—comments that reportedly angered Trump.

Vice President Vance told Fox News he believes Zelenskyy will “eventually” agree to peace talks. “I think Zelenskyy wasn’t yet there, and I think, frankly, now still isn’t there,” Vance said. “But I think he’ll get there eventually. He has to.”

Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, offered a different interpretation, suggesting the White House confrontation was a “deliberate escalation” by Trump.

The suspension comes as Russian forces continue their military campaign. Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility near Dnipro, with a military blogger estimating between 30 and 40 soldiers killed and 90 wounded.

U.S. and Russian officials have already begun discussions about ending the conflict, a development that has alarmed both Ukrainian officials and European allies who fear being excluded from negotiations that could determine Ukraine’s future.