Donald Trump isn’t holding back. He’s standing up for the United States.
And Trump goes nuclear on this foreign nation with a stunning new proposal.
President Trump has announced a temporary halt on all US military aid to Ukraine, following a tense Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The pause, which will remain in effect until Ukrainian officials show a genuine commitment to peace negotiations, was confirmed by what a White House official told the New York Post.
“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace,” the official stated. “We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
This decision comes as a direct response to Zelensky’s recent actions, according to the official. Trump has instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to implement the directive, which will stop the shipment of all US military equipment that isn’t in Ukraine yet, including weapons in Europe destined for the conflict zone.
“This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause,” a Trump official said to Fox News. “The orders are going out right now.”
Trump was set to meet with national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the potential freeze, which could shift the responsibility of aiding Ukraine to European allies.
“This is going to be part of a larger pivot away from conflicts in Europe and a pivot towards building alliances in Latin America and in the Western Hemisphere,” a source close to the White House explained, mentioning Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Argentinian President Javier Milei, and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado Parisca as possible beneficiaries of the freeze.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the US has provided Ukraine with more military aid than any other country. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Ukraine Support Tracker estimates US financial support at $119 billion, including $64 billion in military aid. In comparison, the European Union has contributed $53 billion in military support.
The pause could affect significant US commitments to Ukraine made before the Trump administration, including a $500 million “presidential drawdown authority” package signed by President Joe Biden in his last weeks in office.
This package included missiles for air defense, air-to-ground munitions, and equipment to assist with F-16s that Ukraine uses.
Trump has expressed frustration that the US isn’t receiving anything in return from Kyiv for its support. Tensions between Trump and Zelensky escalated last week when the two leaders, along with Vice President JD Vance, clashed in the Oval Office.
Trump and Vance accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” for attempting to discuss security guarantees beyond a mineral rights deal that was supposed to be signed that day.
The meeting ended with Zelensky being asked to leave the White House, and the mineral deal remained unsigned.
Zelensky refused to apologize for the contentious meeting, telling Fox News anchor Bret Baier that he was “not sure that we did something bad” during the discussion. Trump later remarked that Zelensky seemed more interested in continuing the fight against Russia with increased US support rather than seeking peace.
On Sunday, Zelensky stated that “an agreement to end the war is still very, very far away, and no one has started all these steps yet,” a comment that further irritated President Trump.
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump said on Truth Social.
“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S.”
“Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?” the president added.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
