On Monday, President Trump temporarily halted the delivery of all U.S. military aid to Ukraine, days after a tense encounter between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. This suspension impacts more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition that were in the pipeline or on order and stems from meetings between Trump and his senior national security aides. The directive will remain in place until Trump determines that Ukraine has shown a genuine commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, escalating tensions between Washington and Kyiv.
Trump’s move is unprecedented in recent American history, as full cutoffs like this essentially dictate the terms of a cease-fire to Zelensky or risk greater battlefield losses for Ukraine. This also puts the U.S. at odds with its major NATO allies, such as France, Britain, and Germany, who have pledged to increase aid to Ukraine and are unable to replace U.S. assistance in the short term.
The suspension includes deliveries from Pentagon stockpiles as aid through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows Kyiv to purchase military hardware directly from U.S. defense companies. It remains unclear what specific actions Zelensky would need to take to see the resumption of military assistance.
Over the weekend, tensions between Trump and Zelensky came to a head during an event at the White House meant to finalize a deal in which Ukraine would trade rare mineral rights for repayment of past U.S. military aid. Instead, Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly rebuked Zelensky for not showing enough gratitude for U.S. support. The minerals deal’s fate is now uncertain.
Trump appears to have aligned more with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent statements, falsely claiming that Ukraine is responsible for starting the war and calling Zelensky a “dictator.” Despite this, Trump has referred to Putin as “smart,” and has even expressed a connection with Putin due to their shared experience with investigations related to allegedly trying to influence the 2016 U.S. election.
Before the Oval Office meeting, the Trump administration was already considering cutting off or reducing military assistance and training for Ukraine, as well as possibly curtailing military intelligence support. The effects of a prolonged halt could be significant for Ukraine, which relies on U.S. deliveries for critical military hardware and support.
While Ukraine could potentially withstand a U.S. shutdown for some weeks to a few months through its own weapons production and European arms deliveries, a longer cessation of aid could leave Ukraine without vital advanced weaponry, including air-defense systems and long-range artillery. Zelensky has stated that ending military support would be devastating but would not cease the fighting, as aid contributes around 30% to Ukraine’s defensive capability and security. In the past, a lag in U.S. military aid has led to increased Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/us/politics/trump-ukraine-military-aid.html
