US suspends Ukraine military aid to pressure Zelensky into talks, Trump adviser says
The U.S. has suspended military aid to Ukraine as part of a pressure campaign to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky toward negotiations with Russia, U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller told CNN on March 4.
"President Trump is the only person, the only person talking about stopping the killing, and sometimes leaders can use the carrot, sometimes they can use the stick," Miller said.
Several media outlets reported that Trump ordered an immediate halt to all military aid to Ukraine on March 4, affecting over $1 billion in weapons and ammunition deliveries.
Miller claimed that Trump was using strong tactics to reinforce his demand for peace talks and that he expects Zelensky to "get back to the table."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that American military aid had indeed been suspended, citing Polish border reports. "This is an emergency," Tusk said.
Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski added that the U.S. had not consulted with any of its NATO allies before suspending the aid.
The move follows a heated Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28 between Trump, Zelensky, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, which ended with the cancelation of a planned U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement.
Since the meeting, some U.S. officials and Republican lawmakers have escalated their criticism of Zelensky, with some even suggesting he should resign.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the U.S. has provided $119.8 billion in aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, including $67.1 billion in military aid, $49 billion in financial aid, and $3.6 billion in humanitarian support.
Chris York
