Ban on supply of aid to Ukraine will continue until Trump decides that Zelenskyy supports peace talks with Russia - WSJ
Trump may unblock aid to Ukraine after he is convinced that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is committed to peace talks.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Censor.NET reports with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
"Senior American officials say it is unclear whether Zelenskyy's statement will be enough to convince Donald Trump to restore US military aid to Ukraine, which the White House suspended on Monday after his conflicting meeting with the Ukrainian leader," the WSJ writes.
Officials claim that the pause in aid may last until Trump decides that Zelenskyy supports peace talks with the Russian Federation (RF).
In the same vein, the WSJ adds that signing an agreement to provide American companies with access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals may also not be enough to restore support.
Meanwhile, US National Security Council official David Shimer stressed that the States should renew support for Kyiv to strengthen Ukraine ahead of the negotiations.
"Closing security assistance will only make it more difficult for Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting end to this war. It will reduce Ukraine's leverage, weaken the Ukrainian military, and therefore undermine Ukraine's position in negotiations with Russia," Shimer said.
Suspension of US aid
On the morning of March 4, it became known that US President Donald Trump had ordered a pause in all US military aid to Ukraine in order to force Kyiv to demonstrate a "good faith commitment" to peace.
One of the US officials said in a comment to CNN that Ukraine would feel the consequences of the suspension of US military aid after some time. Perhaps a few days or weeks. However, as soon as the stocks of weapons and ammunition begin to run out, the country will face serious consequences.
As journalist Ostap Yarysh reported, the US decision to suspend aid to Ukraine will primarily affect the supply of air defense missiles and ammunition for HIMARS and artillery.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stressed that the US decision to temporarily suspend military aid to Ukraine means that Europe must help Ukraine more and faster than before to fill this gap.
The Economist article states that the US decision to suspend aid to Ukraine will lead to more losses and destruction. The critical elements, the publication writes, are weapons, their repair, air defense missiles, the Starlink system, and, perhaps most importantly, intelligence sharing.
The chief national security adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Marius Cesnulevicius, said that Washington's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine was not a surprise. However, Europe is preparing a response.
The Economist later wrote that there is currently no official order from Donald Trump to suspend military aid to Ukraine.
Later, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said that the suspension of military aid to Ukraine was a "temporary pause."
