US official to 'Post': US pausing military aid to Ukraine - Amichai Stein, Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Amichai Stein, Jerusalem Post Staff

"The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well," the official said.

 

US President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington, US, February 28, 2025.

(photo credit: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER/FILE PHOTO)

The US is pausing military assistance to Ukraine and reviewing it to ensure that it is contributing to a solution, a US official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

"The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well," the official said. 

On Monday, The Washington Post reported, citing an administration official, that Trump was discussing the matter with officials. 

Among the options under review were cutting down on the shared intelligence between the two countries and the training of Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, according to the report. 

Earlier on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing current and former US officials, that the US has suspended the funding for new weapons sales to Ukraine and was contemplating stopping shipments of armaments from US caches.

A Ukrainian serviceman seen between military exercises at a training ground, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine. February 24, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/VALENTYN OGIRENKO)

The move came, according to the report, as part of the Trump administration's bid to reduce foreign aid, dating from late January. 

In a Monday Truth Social post, Trump slammed Zelensky for saying the end of the Ukraine- Russia War was "very, very far away." 

"This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer!" the US president wrote. 

Friday Oval Office meeting

On Friday, Trump and Zelensky held a heated debate in the White House Oval Office, which ended with the Ukrainian president's premature departure. 

Trump accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for US support, while his vice president, JD Vance, blamed Zelensky for being "disrespectful" and requested he thank Trump. 

Trump warned that failing to accept a US-led peace deal with Russia would mean “gambling with World War III.”

“You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out,” Trump further stated. “And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out, and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

Reuters contributed to this report. 

Amichai Stein, Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-844565

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