A White House official said Trump wants President Zelenskyy to commit to reaching a peace deal with Russia.
President Donald Trump has directed a “pause” to US military assistance to Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting as Trump seeks to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia.
A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal to end the more than three-year war sparked by Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal.
The official added that the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
The pause is not believed to be a permanent end of US assistance.
The relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy has been strained following a contentious meeting at the White House, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastised Zelenskyy for not being sufficiently appreciative of US support for Ukraine.
In his upcoming speech before Congress, Trump is set to discuss the future of a US-Ukraine agreement involving rare earth minerals, which has now been thrown into doubt.
While he had previously refused to sign the deal with Ukraine, citing a lack of appreciation from President Zelenskyy, Trump has, however, continued to describe the deal as “great.” He is expected to reveal further details during his address on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also assured British officials that the US is committed to negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, expressing gratitude for the UK’s efforts to encourage Europe to bolster its defence in a phone call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
