The Trump administration has reportedly paused all military aid to Ukraine.
The decision, reported by Bloomberg News, comes after a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday descended into chaos, the latest in a larger fraying of the U.S.-Ukraine alliance.
The president is reportedly reviewing whether Zelensky is willing to engage in good-faith efforts at making peace with Russia, a Defense Department official told the outlet.
“This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause,” a Trump administration official told Fox News.
It’s unclear how much aid will be paused, but any major change in the flow of U.S. military support to Ukraine could have disastrous impacts on the country’s defense, given that officials have said it only has supplies to keep fighting Russia until the summer.
A Trump official told The Associated Press they want to see that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is “committed” to reaching a peace deal with Russia, and fast.
The extent of the aid pause is unknown at the present, but the officials added that the dramatic move is meant to ensure continued support is “contributing to a solution.”
Just days ago, the U.S. and Ukraine looked set to ink a rare minerals deal that would give America access to Ukrainian resources, which both sides hoped would deepen ties between the countries as part of the larger peace process to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
However, the tide quickly turned during the televised Friday meeting, with the Republican administration accusing Zelensky of oversteppingwhen he began discussing the need for deeper security guarantees to deter further aggression from Russia.
The Ukrainians were then asked to leave the White House, and Trump allies soon began calling for Zelensky’s resignation.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
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