After the much-talked about heated exchange between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Oval office, the former has now “paused” US assistance to Ukraine. The stopping of all military aid from the US, is definitely going to impact the support and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to Reuters, the reason behind the move is to build pressure on Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia.
An official from the White House on Monday said that Trump was stopping and reviewing the aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
The official further added that Trump is focussing on ending the Russia-Ukraine war by reaching a decision on the peace deal. The official said that the US President wants Zelenskyy to “commit” to that goal.
Trump’s growing frustration with Zelenskyy
Five years ago, Trump had taken a similar step of stopping US aid to Ukraine, to pressurise Zelenskyy, into investigating Joe Biden, who was running for president then in 2019. This led to Trump’s first impeachment.
As he campaigned for the 2024 election, Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly. It is evident from his public addresses and interviews and his recent meeting with the Ukrainian leader that he has grown more impatient with Zelenskyy over the war, reported Associated Press. Trump has also said that he believes Russian President Putin could be trusted to keep peace if a ceasefire is agreed upon.
Earlier on Monday, Trump had slammed Zelenskyy for suggesting that the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine is likely still far away. His comments come as some of Trump’s allies are now pushing Zelenskyy to change how he deals with the new US President, who wants to end the war quickly, or step down.
The relationship between the two leaders has gotten worse after a bad meeting at the White House, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance told Zelenskyy he wasn’t showing enough gratitude for the U.S. support since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.