The decision is a continuation of Trump’s efforts to pressure the Ukrainian president to engage in peace talks with Russia, and comes days after the Oval Office spat between the two.
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 official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.
Trump allies have been escalating pressure on Zelenskyy to dramatically change his approach to the US president or step aside.
The long-complicated relationship between the leaders has reached a nadir following the disastrous White House meeting in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance excoriated Zelenskyy for not being sufficiently thankful for US support for Ukraine.
Should Australia continue to support Ukraine even if the US doesn’t
The US has been the biggest provider of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its illegal invasion in early 2022, but Trump has repeatedly talked of ending the war quickly while expressing frustration with Zelenskyy and praising Vladimir Putin.
Russia has supported Trump’s u-turn on Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling state TV on Sunday that US foreign policy is now “largely in line with our vision”.
Today’s development comes some five years after Trump held up congressionally authorised assistance to Ukraine in 2019 as he sought to pressure Zelenskyy to launch investigations into Joe Biden, then a Democratic presidential candidate.
The moment led to Trump’s first impeachment.
It came as Britain and France rallied fellow European nations to continue and increase support for Kyiv as the US steps away from backing its defence against Russian forces.
After a summit with European allies – as well as the NATO secretary-general and Turkish foreign minister – in London on Sunday, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Western powers would keep aid flowing to “support a just and enduring peace”.
“Our starting point must be to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position now, so that they can negotiate from a position of strength,” he said.
He also said “strong US backing” was necessary for such a plan to succeed.
