Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office argument with Zelensky, White House official says

President Donald Trump is ordering military aid to Ukraine to be paused after his Friday Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a White House official told CNN Monday.

President Donald Trump is ordering military aid to Ukraine to be paused after his Friday Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a White House official told CNN Monday. “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,” the White House official said. Another official said the pause will apply to all military equipment not yet inside Ukraine. The pause is a direct response to what Trump views as Zelensky’s bad behavior last week, the official said. They noted that a pause could be lifted if Zelensky demonstrates new commitment to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The White House made the decision to pause military aid to Ukraine for now as officials seek an acknowledgement from Zelensky about the breakdown in relations following Friday’s blowup in the Oval Office. According to several officials, Trump and his senior aides are seeking an acknowledgement from Zelensky – potentially in the form of a public apology – before moving ahead with the minerals deal, which had been close to agreement before Friday’s meeting, or a discussion on continuing foreign aid. The decision to halt the aid was made later on Monday, one person said, and is part of a pressure strategy on Ukraine.