Oval Office Drama: Trump Halts Ukrainian Aid Amid Intensifying Dispute

Following his heated dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump has ordered a halt to US military aid shipments to Ukraine, a White House official told CNN on Monday.

This occurred after Zelensky stated yesterday that he wanted to mend fences with Trump and work under the strong leadership of the US president to achieve a sustainable peace in Ukraine.

Zelensky promised to sign a significant minerals agreement with Washington and called for a sea and sky truce as a first step to ending the three-year conflict in his first public remarks since Trump suspended US military help to Ukraine.

Zelensky posted on X, "My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts."

Our Friday encounter in Washington, at the White House, did not proceed as planned. "Now is the moment to put things right," he declared.

The aid halt, which essentially forced Ukraine to the negotiating table by threatening more battlefield losses, came after Trump met with top national security officials at the White House. According to one official, the halt will continue until Trump decides Zelensky has committed to seeking peace talks.

The president has made it apparent that peace is his top priority. Our partners must share our commitment to that objective. In order to make sure that our assistance is helping to find a solution, we are stopping and evaluating it," the White House official stated.

Fears that America was turning away from its allies and toward Moscow were heightened in Kyiv and many other European capitals by Trump's shocking decision on Monday to stop aid to Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov praised Trump's move, saying it was a solution that may actually force the Kyiv administration to engage in a peace process.

"This would probably be the best contribution to peace if the United States stopped military supplies," Peskov stated.

The European Union has been rushing to help Kyiv, as it and Ukraine are not included in US-Russian talks for a possible peace in Ukraine.

Trump's warning that his Ukrainian counterpart won't be around for long without a ceasefire agreement with Moscow during their White House altercation last week increased the urgency.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, unveiled an EU plan Monday to raise over 800 billion euros ($840 billion) for European defense.

She claimed that the money would give Ukraine rapid military weaponry and significantly increase support for the country.