Four days after a heated exchange at the Oval Office in Washington between US President Donald Trump, his deputy J.D. Vance, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Trump has stopped all US military aid to Ukraine.
Multiple US media outlets, citing unnamed officials from Trump’s team, reported on Monday that he plans to suspend US aids to Ukraine should the country fail demonstrates genuine commitment to peace negotiations on his terms.
|
|
“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” the unnamed White House official was quoted as saying.
“We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
|
|
|
|---|
The suspension of military aid to the country comes days after the US accused Ukraine of not being grateful for the support it receives.
During the meeting at the Oval Office, President Trump told the Ukrainian leader that he has “no card to negotiate” and was only playing the “tough guy” because of US support.
The meeting, set to finalise a “critical mineral deal with the US” and address the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, was cut short when President Zelenskyy demanded a security guarantee.
However, President Trump threatened to withdraw US support entirely if Mr Zelenskyy refused to comply.
“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty,” Trump said, berating Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in front of gathered reporters.
In an earlier post on Truth Social, his social media platform, President Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of not wanting peace “as long as he has America’s backing.”
EU increases funding
Meanwhile, unsettled by last week’s fractious exchange between the two leaders, European officials on Sunday convened in London for an emergency summit aimed at bolstering support for Ukraine.
The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said the emergency meeting was organised to garner support for Ukraine and ensure the country’s security.
After the meeting, the UK announced that it has signed a £2.2 billion loan, obtained from profits of frozen Russian assets, to provide more military aid to Ukraine.
The UK also made a deal to allow Ukraine to use £1.6 billion of UK export finance to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles.
He said, “We have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot accept a weak deal like this, which Russia can breach with ease.”
PREMIUM TIMES also reported that the European Union President, Ursula von der Leyen, said Europe needs to scale up its military strength.
“We urgently have to rearm Europe. For this, I plan to present a comprehensive plan at the next European summit in Brussels,” she said.
