The Trump administration has paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine, the White House confirmed Monday. It's the latest fallout days after a contentious meeting between President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House erupted into an open dispute in front of Tv cameras.
"The president has been clear that he is focused on peace," a White House official told CBS News. "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."
The U.S. has been a key supplier of weapons for Ukraine as it continues to fend off Russian troops three years after Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion three years ago. But Mr. Trump's return to office has brought a marked shift marked shift in U.S. policy toward the conflict, with the president blaming Ukrain for the war Russia started. CBS reported.
Friday's meeting, which was meant to precede the signing of an economic and minerals agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine, devolved into a confrontation.
Mr. Trump told Zelenskyy to reach a ceasefire agreement with Russia or "we're out," and Vance accused the Ukrainian president of being "disrespectful" after he challenged the vice president's assertion that the war had dragged on because of a lack of diplomacy from Ukraine and the Biden administration. The meeting abruptly ended without signing the rare earth minerals deal, and several White House officials told CBS News that the future of military aidfor Ukraine was in doubt.
Since Mr. Trump took office in January, $3.85 billion has been available in drawdown authority for weeponry that can be pulled from existing U.S. stockpiles and sent to Ukraine, U.S. officials previously told CBS News. But the Trump administration has not packaged any of that aid for a single shipment since Jan. 21, a diplomatic source told CBS News Monday. Still, there have been shipments of weapons sent to Ukraine since Jan. 20 that were promised by the Biden administration in earlier drawdowns, according to defense officials.
The $3.85 billion is spending authority, not congressionally appropriated funds, which means it's up to the White House to determine whether to release the aid. It is also not considered "real money," meaning it cannot be spent elsewhere.
