The Trump administration is pausing all aid to Ukraine, including weapons in transit or in Poland, until Ukrainian leaders show more appreciation for U.S. support and a commitment to peace, Fox News has learned.
The pause comes days after a contentious meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump in the White House over how to end the three-year conflict initiated by Russia.
‘President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace,’ a White House official told Fox News. ‘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.’
A senior Trump administration official also told Fox News that military aid will remain on hold until Ukrainian leaders show a commitment to good faith peace negotiations.
‘This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause,’ the official emphasized. ‘The orders are going out right now.’
The official said Monday’s move was in response to Zelenskyy’s conduct over the last week.
Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance last week erupted into a shouting match that was seen worldwide. The Ukrainian president traveled to the United States to meet with Trump after the commander-in-chief said a peace negotiation to end the war between Ukraine and Russia is in its final stages.
Zelenskyy was apparently presented with a minerals for security agreement by the Trump administration prior to the press event, but the deal included no security guarantees to protect Ukraine from another Russian invasion.
Minutes after reporters in the Oval Office asked their first questions, an aggressive spat unfolded between the heads of state.
‘We cannot just sign an … agreement without any substantial guarantees,’ one Ukrainian defense advisor told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s not going to work. It’s just going to reward the aggressor.’
Zelenskyy’s refusal to sign a deal apparently contributed to the ire of Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The Ukrainian leader pointed out that Russia never stopped attacking Ukraine between 2014 and 2022, four years of which included Trump’s first term.
‘Nobody stopped him you know,’ Zelenskyy said, adding that Russian President Putin repeatedly violated bilateral agreements.
Trump then accused Zelenskyy of ‘gambling with World War Three’ as the Ukrainian president pushed back at suggestions that he should work harder to reach a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin.
Following the heated exchange, Zelenskyy refused to apologize when asked by Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier.
‘Mr. President, do you think your relationship with Donald Trump — President Trump — after today can be salvaged?’ Baier asked Zelenskyy.
‘Yes, of course, because it’s relations more than two presidents. It’s the historical relations, strong relations between our people, and that’s why I always began… to thank your people from our people,’ Zelenskyy said during an exclusive interview Friday on ‘Special Report.’
‘Of course, thankful to the president, and, of course, to Congress, but first of all, to your people. Your people helped save our people… we wanted very much to have all these strong relations, and where it counted, we will have it.’
The Biden administration gave billions in military aid to Ukraine to fend off Russian forces amid its three-year war following Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.
When asked Monday about the status of the rare-earth minerals deal, Trump told reporters that he would disclose where the deal stands when he addresses a joint session of Congress Tuesday in a speech akin to the annual State of the Union. He added that he would like to see the Ukrainian leader express more gratitude for U.S. support during the war in order to rekindle peace negotiations.
‘I just think he should be more appreciative because this country has stuck with him through thick and thin,’ Trump said. ‘We’ve given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us because, as you know, that’s right there, that’s the border.’
This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.