Trump strikes major and paralyzing blow on Zelensky and all of Ukraine

The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump has ordered a halt to all military aid to Ukraine.

The directive, which takes immediate effect, affects more than a billion dollars' worth of weapons and ammunition, including those already in transit and those still in the ordering stage. Trump has also instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth not to redirect weapons and equipment currently stored in transit depots in Poland to Ukraine.

Additionally, shipments from Pentagon stockpiles through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative will be paused. This initiative provides funds that Kyiv can only use to purchase new military equipment directly from American defense companies.

The administration is also considering reducing intelligence-sharing and suspending training programs for Ukrainian troops and pilots.

Aid Will Resume If Ukraine 'Demonstrates Commitment to Peace'

The US administration clarified that aid will not resume until Ukraine "demonstrates a commitment to peace negotiations."

"President Trump has made it clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to this goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our assistance to ensure it contributes to a resolution," a senior White House official stated anonymously.

Before this, Vice President J. D. Vance had emphasized that Washington would not fund Ukraine's war effort indefinitely, stating that the American people would not allow it.

"There aren't enough Ukrainian lives, nor is there an endless supply of American money and ammunition to keep sending indefinitely," he said.

Vance also urged European nations to convince Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to seek an end to the conflict.

"They need to tell Zelensky that this cannot go on forever. It's making things worse for everyone," he stated.

Ukraine Calls Trump's Decision a Catastrophe

Democrats condemned Trump's decision in Congress.

“By freezing military aid to Ukraine, President Trump has kicked the door wide open for Putin to escalate his violent aggression against innocent Ukrainians. The repercussions will undoubtedly be devastating,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said, Reuters reports.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned that this would be a major and paralyzing blow to Kyiv. He estimated that Ukraine would feel the impact within two to four months.

"Their front lines will continue to buckle and will eventually collapse, forcing Ukraine into an unfavorable peace settlement," he predicted.

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko (listed as a terrorist and extremist by Russia's financial monitoring agency) called the suspension of aid a "catastrophe" for Ukraine. He added that if Trump demanded an apology, Ukraine should offer one. Furthermore, he suggested that Kyiv should develop a contingency plan in case US military aid is fully halted.

"We are completely dependent on the US, and we need to play along with Trump, not against him," he stated.

The New York Times wrote that Russian President Vladimir Putin was the main beneficiary of Trump's decision to pause military aid to Ukraine. According to the article's authors, any prolonged dispute between Trump and Zelensky would only strengthen Russia's position either on the battlefield or during ceasefire negotiations.

Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa stated that the US initiative had broken the deadlock in conflict resolution. A senior anonymous US official warned that Ukraine would face severe consequences due to Trump's decision.

"There is a capability gap that Europe cannot fill on its own," the official stressed.

The United States has supplied Ukraine with a wide range of advanced weaponry and military aid since the start of the war. Key deliveries include:

• Missiles & Air Defense: Patriot missile systems, NASAMS, Stinger MANPADS, and HIMARS rocket systems.
• Armored Vehicles & Tanks: M1 Abrams tanks, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Stryker APCs, and MRAPs.
• Artillery & Ammunition: M777 howitzers, 155mm artillery shells, cluster munitions, and Excalibur precision-guided shells.
• Drones & Aircraft Support: Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost drones, JDAM kits for precision bombs.
• Small Arms & Equipment: Rifles, machine guns, body armor, night vision devices, and medical supplies.

Details

The United States officially recognized the independence of Ukraine on December 25, 1991. The United States upgraded its consulate in the capital, Kyiv, to embassy status on January 21, 1992. In 2002, relations between the United States and Ukraine deteriorated after one of the recordings made during the Cassette Scandal revealed an alleged transfer of a sophisticated Ukrainian defense system to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. On 2009, the United States announced support for Ukraine's bid to join NATO. According to documents uncovered during the United States diplomatic cables leak in 2010, American diplomats consistently defended Ukrainian sovereignty in meetings with other diplomats.