Donald Trump halts US military aid to Ukraine and demands 'commitment to peace' from Volodymyr Zelensky

The White House has announced it is pausing military aid to Ukraine as Donald Trump seeks to turn the screw on Volodymyr Zelensky in the wake of the pair’s dramatic Oval Office bust-up.

A US official said the Trump administration was “pausing and reviewing” aid to Ukraine to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”, the Associated Press reported.

Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Mr Zelensky “committed” to that goal, the official said.

The move came as the US President, who is pushing deal with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war, claimed European demands for US guarantees was showing weakness to the Kremlin.

The US president criticised Mr Zelensky for suggesting a deal to end the war with Russia “is still 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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US - probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia.

“What are they thinking?”

He later said European countries had “acted very well” and were “good people”.

“We’re going to make deals with everybody to get this war (finished), including Europe and European nations. And they’ve acted very well. You know, they’re good people ... they want to work it out,” Trump said at the White House.

Hours after the announcement, US vice president JD Vance accused Mr Zelensky of “needling” Trump and having a “certain sense of entitlement” when they met at the White House.

Sitting down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity early on Tuesday, Mr Vance said the encounter, which happened in front of the media, “really set Zelensky off”.

“He showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process that President Trump said is the policy,” he said.

“That’s the real breakdown. I think Zelensky wasn’t yet there. And frankly, still isn’t there. But I think he’ll get there eventually, he has to.”

He accused European leaders of doing Ukrainians a “disservice” in the way they have been talking up Mr Zelensky, and said they need to be “realistic” on the war.

“I think our European friends, frankly, are really doing a disservice to the Ukrainians because their own populations are saying, ‘We’re not going to fund this war indefinitely,’” Vance argued.

“Zelensky, he goes to Europe and a lot of our European friends puff him up, They say, you know, ‘You’re a freedom fighter. You need to keep fighting forever.’ Well, fighting forever with what? With whose money? With whose ammunition? and with whose lives?

“The president is actually taking a much more realistic perspective and saying, ‘This can’t go on forever. We can’t fund this thing forever. The Ukrainians can’t fight forever. So let’s bring this thing to a peaceful settlement,’” he added.

Mr Vance confirmed Ukrainian officials made at least one attempt to restart negotiations after leaving the White House, but efforts were shut down Mr Trump.

He also used the interview as an opportunity to criticise Europe’s approach to free speech, saying governments wanted to “silence and shut down” free speech in response to criticism over immigration.

The dramatic development followed Sir Keir Starmer restating his call for “strong US backing” for any European-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister gathered leaders from Europe and Canada, including Mr Zelensky, for talks in London on Sunday.

Speaking in the Commons, Sir Keir again promised British troops and jets would be available to a peacekeeping force if a deal is done to end the war, along with a “coalition of the willing” from other nations.

“It is right that Europe do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent,” he said.

“But to succeed, this effort must also have strong US backing.”

The Prime Minister said the proposed minerals deal between the US and Ukraine is “not enough” of a security guarantee on its own.

Plans for Trump and Mr Zelensky to sign the minerals deal were put on hold after the Ukrainian leader left the White House early following their Oval Office bust-up on Friday.

But Mr Zelensky has since suggested he is ready to sign it.

Sir Keir said Trump’s commitment to peace was “sincere” and that a security guarantee should be led by Europe but needs US backing.

Sir Keir told MPs Britain needs to “lead from the front” and that the European “coalition of the willing” has been formed to avoid moving “at the speed of the most reluctant and that will be too slow”.

Downing Street said various options are on the table but insisted no plan has been agreed after France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, said his country and Britain are backing the prospect of a limited ceasefire.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “There are clearly a number of options on the table.”

Defence Secretary John Healey is expected to visit the US later this week for talks with his counterpart Pete Hegseth.

Germany and France meanwhile have reportedly started discussions of how 200 billion euros (£165 billion) of frozen Russian assets could be used as a way to hold Moscow to a potential ceasefire deal.

On Sunday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves signed off on a £2.26 billion loan scheme to help Ukraine buy weapons and fund its reconstruction after the war, which will be repaid with the profits of frozen Russian assets.