President of the United States Donald Trump on Tuesday suspended military aid to Ukraine.
According to a White House official, who confirmed this development, noted that this will put pressure on Kyiv to negotiate with Russia.
This comes after Trump’s very public clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he noted that he wants a quick resolution to the whole thing.
Trumo had earlier refuse to rule out a temporary pause in arms shipments to the country.
Any disruption to the flow of US weapons to Ukraine’s front lines could undermine its ability to repel the Russian invasion.
A senior White House official said the President is all about peace and expects Ukraine and its allies to be too.
The official said the review and pause was to make sure all the support ultimately leads to a lasting solution.
Forfing the move, the Democrats immediately torched it as dangerous and illegal.
Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, blasted his Republican colleagues for not joining him in demanding the aid freeze be reversed.
Meeks said support for Ukraine should never waver especially given the allegations of Russian aggression.
At the White House, Trump warned Zelensky that continued defiance would have dire consequences. He said without a ceasefire deal with Moscow, Zelensky would soon be out of office.
The aid suspension will affect hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military equipment en route to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelensky says his priority is to end the war as soon as possible. He says real peace can only be achieved with robust security guarantees – a promise Ukraine got in 1994 when it agreed to denuclearize in exchange for protection from the US and Britain.
Zelensky is demanding security guarantees amid concerns Russia may not be serious about peace.
European countries including Britain and France are also exploring a one month truce on land, sea and energy infrastructure with ground troops. But Trump isn’t buying it.
Big change in US foreign policy and both domestic and international backlash..