LAST UPDATE | 4 Mar

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has suspended military aid for Ukraine, as the reverberations from last week’s disastrous White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy continue.

A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal.

The official added that the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.

The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, the 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,” a White House official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The move comes days after a public blowup between Zelenskyy and Trump, who is seeking a quick end to the war.

Russia has welcomed the suspension and also said that the lifting of US sanctions was a prerequisite for normalising relations between Moscow and Washington. 

“If the United States stops (military supplies), this would probably be the best contribution to peace,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that it was a “solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process”.

“Of course, if we’re talking about normalising bilateral relations, these relations must be free of the negative burden of sanctions,” Peskov said.

Congressional Democrats immediately condemned the pause as dangerous and illegal.

“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.

Vice President JD Vance told Fox News he was confident Zelenskyy would “eventually” agree to peace talks with Moscow.

“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.”

Trump: Zelenskyy should be more appreciative

At a White House press conference yesterday evening, Trump said that Zelenskyy should be “more appreciative” of US support against Russia’s invasion, after their public falling out.

It was a small row back on comments made earlier yesterday when Trump slammed Zelenskyy, claiming he would “not put up with” his rhetoric much longer, but there was little substantive change overall.

Trump also said the US has stood by Ukraine “through thick and thin” amid its invasion by Russia.

“Now, maybe somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long,” Trump said.

Video available: Trump suggests Zelensky ‘won’t be around very long’ if he does not make deal with Russia

After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” – potentially backed by troops on the ground.

In a statement yesterday, Zelenskyy said discussions were still focusing on the “first steps,” adding: “An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away” – a comment that angered Trump.

Asked if a minerals deal – which was supposed to be a step towards helping end the conflict – between Washington and Kyiv was dead, Trump said: “No, I don’t think so.”

When he first blasted Zelenskyy on Sunday on his social media site Truth Social, Trump had said the Ukrainian president had put out the “worst statement that could have been made”.

“America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump said, citing a story quoting Ukraine’s president saying the end of the war with Moscow was far off.

“This guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing.”

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In another address yesterday evening, Zelenskyy said that that “peace is needed as soon as possible” in Ukraine.

“We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our cities and towns. We lose our people. We need to stop the war and to guarantee security,” the Ukrainian president said.

“We are working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace.”

We continue our work with partners. We have already had talks and other steps to come soon.

It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible.

We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 3, 2025

Trump had taken aim at European leaders who met Zelenskyy for crisis talks in London at the weekend, saying that they had “stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.”

“Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

European leaders, who have offered peacekeepers to guarantee any ceasefire but also want a US “backstop”, met in London on Sunday a desperate bid to resolve the row.

With reporting from AFP and Press Association 

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