Trump stops military aid to Ukraine

This decision comes three days after Donald Trump’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, which turned into a verbal confrontation.

“[The] president has been clear that he is focused on peace. 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 White House spokesman told CNN on Monday.

During this altercation, Trump and JD Vance, his vice president, pressured Zelensky by arguing that he was lacking gratitude towards the United States for the military aid they have provided him since the beginning of the war three years ago.

«The thing I don’t like is that Europe has spent 100 billion USD and we have spent 350 billion dollars», said Trump during the meeting.

According to figures from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, based in Germany, Washington has provided, including all forms of aid, 119 billion dollars between January 24, 2022, and December 31, 2024.

In recent weeks, Donald Trump has aligned himself with the discourse of Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that Ukraine is responsible for this war and accusing Volodymyr Zelensky of being a dictator.

His decision to suspend the delivery of military aid, which had been established under the Biden administration, could have real consequences on the balance of the conflict and strengthen Putin’s position.

According to CNN, U.S. authorities clarified that this freeze will apply to all war equipment that is not yet on Ukrainian soil. They also stated that this is a direct response to ‘Zelensky’s bad behavior’ during last week’s meeting.

«The impact is going to be big. I would call it crippling,» stated Mark Cancian, senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), to CNN.

Cancian believes that Ukraine will feel the effects of the aid suspension within two to four months, as assistance from European countries will allow it to continue fighting in the short term.

«That’s why they don’t fall off a cliff, but when your supplies get cut in half, eventually that shows up on the front lines,» he explained.