Trump pauses aid to Ukraine after Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump directed a "pause" to any U.S. aid to Ukraine on Monday following his volatile clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week. 

A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal to end the more than three-year war sparked by Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine, and wants Zelenskyy "committed" to that goal. The official added that the U.S. was "pausing and reviewing" its aid to "ensure that it is contributing to a solution." The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.

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Oval Office clash

The backstory:

The Trump administration and Ukrainian officials had been expected to sign off on a deal during Zelenskyy's visit last week that would have given the U.S. access to Ukraine's critical minerals. The White House has also billed such a pact as a way to tighten U.S.-Ukrainian relations in the long term.

FILE - Side by side image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump. (Getty Images) 

The deal was in part a way to pay back the more than $180 billion in aid the U.S. has sent to Kyiv since the war began. 

The signing was scrapped after the leaders' Oval Office talks went off the rails and White House officials asked Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian delegation to leave.

What they're saying:

Trump on Monday, however, suggested he hasn't given up on the economic pact, calling it "a great deal." He added that he expected to speak to the deal during his Tuesday address before a joint session of Congress.

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Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Penn., who is co-chairman of the Congressional EU Caucus, said the decision to pause funding for Ukraine "is reckless, indefensible, and a direct threat to our national security."

"This aid was approved by Congress on a bipartisan basis—Republicans and Democrats alike recognized that standing with Ukraine is standing for democracy and against Putin’s aggression," Boyle said in a statement. "Yet, Trump, who has repeatedly praised Putin and undermined our allies, is now playing political games with critical military assistance."

Zelenskyy: End of war ‘is still very, very far away’

Dig deeper:

The Ukrainian leader was in London to attend U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s effort to rally his European counterparts around continuing — and likely much increased — support for Ukraine from the continent amid political uncertainty in the U.S., and Trump’s overtures toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Asked by a reporter to comment about the outlines of a new European initiative to end Russia’s war, Zelenskyy said: "We are talking about the first steps today, and therefore, until they are on paper, I would not like to talk about them in great detail."

"An agreement to end the war is still very, very far away, and no one has started all these steps yet. The peace that we foresee in the future must be just, honest, and most importantly, sustainable," he added.

Trump slammed Zelenskyy later Monday for suggesting that the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine is still far off.

What they're saying:

"This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!" Trump said in a post 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 Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. — Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia," Trump added in his post. "What are they thinking?"

The White House wants Zelenskyy to show more openness to potential concessions in order to bring the fighting to an end, but Zelenskyy resisted that idea while pressing for security guarantees from Washington during last Friday’s meeting.