U.S. Halts Arms for Ukraine In Sharp Turn Away From Ally

"The U.S. will pause all military aid to Kyiv until President Trump determines that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is making a good-faith effort toward peace negotiations with Russia, the White House said.

"The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution," a White House official said in a statement.

The White House didn't say under what conditions the U.S. would resume military aid, which drew from U.S. stockpiles, or whether it would be at the same pace. While there is no clear understanding of what Washington wants from Kyiv, the decision was the most demonstrative U.S. shift from being Ukraine's main ally.

A senior administration official said all of Trump's top national security advisers agreed with the decision to pause the aid after multiple meetings on the issue. Trump, enraged by Zelensky's comments that he thought the end of the conflict was far away, felt the need to show he was serious about getting Ukraine to the peace table.

"The Ukrainians didn't think we were serious," the administration official said. "We had to make a demonstration."

The official said Trump would decide what constitutes Ukraine showing that it was serious about peace talks, adding that it was unclear if Zelensky signing a rare minerals deal sought by the Trump administration was enough to restart arms deliveries.

The U.S. decision comes days after a contentious meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House. The tense exchange Friday raised fears across Europe that the U.S. could be moving away from the Western alliance.

The U.S. has provided more than $120 billion in aid since events in Ukraine started three years ago, including $67.3 billion in military aid. It also provided intelligence, training and rallied the international community to support Ukraine.

European nations contributed $138 billion in military and humanitarian aid, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a research group.

The White House announcement drew concern from Ukraine's supporters, who warned that pausing aid would prolong the conflict, not speed up the peace process.

"Stopping military aid to Ukraine is incredibly damaging to the United States and a sad day for American interests because it rewards our adversaries," said Mykola Murskyj, director of advocacy at Razom for Ukraine. "I can hear the Champagne popping in Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran."

The decision also underscored the growing divisions over foreign policy in Trump's Republican Party, as some lawmakers cheered the move and others warned against it.

"Stopping support for Ukraine would jeopardize the stability of Europe and the free world," Rep. Mike Lawler, (R., N.Y.) said on X. "There are strong opinions on both sides of this issue, and I respect that. However, we must be pragmatic about the bigger picture and protect America's interests abroad," he added.

"If Zelensky wants to continue fighting an endless conflict, let him do it himself," Rep. Mary Miller, (R., Ill.) said on X.

The Trump administration had previously stopped financing new weapons sales to Ukraine, another move that threatened Kyiv's ability to fight at a critical time in its battle against Russian forces, current and former U.S. officials said.

Trump on Monday said Zelensky should be "more appreciative because this country has stuck with them through thick and thin." A proposed mineral-rights deal between the U.S. and Ukraine would provide Kyiv with added security -- even without explicit U.S. defense guarantees sought by Zelensky -- because the U.S. would have a "presence there," Trump said. He lashed out at Zelensky for saying the conflict with Russia was likely to continue for some time.

The U.S. weapons cutoff would leave Ukraine less able to withstand Russian attacks, analysts said.

"Ukraine wouldn't surrender tomorrow or next week, but they would lose military capability gradually and at some point they would face defeat," said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank.

Ukraine had been able to get weapons from the U.S. through several means, including Foreign Military Financing, which provides loans and grants for nations to buy weapons from U.S. defense companies, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the Pentagon to buy weapons for Kyiv but is currently out of funds. Presidential drawdown authority allowed the Defense Department to pull directly from its own stockpiles and had been the most significant tool for arming Ukraine. However, the U.S. paused that authority Monday.

The shutdown of financing new weapons sales began before Friday's acrimonious meeting, during which Ukraine and the U.S. were supposed to sign a framework agreement for a mineral-rights deal, but instead canceled the ceremony and a scheduled press conference. The Monday administration meetings, which led to the suspension of ongoing weapons shipments to Ukraine, emerged after the Friday blowup at the White House.

Without new U.S. military aid, Ukraine likely has enough weapons to keep fighting Russia at its current pace until the middle of this year, current and former Western officials say. That is the result in part of a surge of new weapons approved by the Biden administration in its final days.

Over the weekend, European leaders held a summit in London and agreed to form a coalition to forge a Ukraine peace plan to present to Trump that would include ground troops and military assets.

European allies and Ukraine's own growing defense industry can make up for some of the potential shortfall, but an end to U.S. aid would cut Ukraine's access to advanced weapons systems that are important to its strategy.

If the U.S. shutdown persists, Ukraine would lose its supply of some sophisticated weapons, including advanced air-defense systems, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, navigation systems and long-range rocket artillery. The U.S. is the sole producer of some systems, including Army Tactical Missile Systems or ATACMS, and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or Himars, which give the Ukrainians the ability to strike far behind Russian lines.

Once those U.S. supplies run out, Ukraine's ability to conduct longer-range strikes, and to protect its own rear positions, would suffer, officials and analysts say.

"Europe can step in to meet a fair amount of Ukraine's need for artillery ammunition when combined with munitions already shipped by the U.S. early this year," said Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who frequently visits Ukrainian front-line units. "The challenges will be more visible as we get into summer."

Over time, Ukraine could find it harder to plan for its military arsenal or to buy parts for its existing systems. Ukraine currently builds or finances about 55% of its military hardware. The U.S. supplies around 20%, while Europe supplies 25%.

Until Monday, the Trump administration had sent some of the weapons promised by the Biden administration, the Pentagon said, including hundreds of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and antitank weapons and thousands of artillery rounds." [1]

Now it is only the EU that is fueling this major conflict in Europe and risking to ignite a nuclear war. Oh my, how ugly it is to give up on peace.

1.  U.S. Halts Arms for Ukraine In Sharp Turn Away From Ally. Youssef, Nancy A; Ward, Alexander;
Malsin, Jared.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 04 Mar 2025: A1.