Saul Loeb / AFP
US President Donald Trump has suspended military aid to Ukraine, heaping pressure on Kyiv to agree to peace negotiations with Russia and prompting Europe to unveil an 800 billion euro plan to shore up its defense.
The move comes just days after a stunning public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, who is seeking a rapid end to the war.
Russia said the suspension of US-Ukraine aid was the "best contribution" to peace, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that it was a "solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process".
Any disruption in the flow of US arms to the front line would rapidly weaken Ukraine's chance of beating back Russia's invasion.
Trump had earlier on Monday declined to rule out a pause when quizzed by reporters, but a White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity that aid would be paused.
"The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well," the White House official said late Monday.
"We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution," the official added.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen hours later presented a five-part plan to mobilise some 800 billion euros for Europe's defense -- and help provide "immediate" military support for Ukraine.
"This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up," von der Leyen announced in Brussels on Tuesday morning.
Britain also committed its support to Ukraine after the suspension, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer "laser-focused" on securing peace in Ukraine, his deputy Angela Rayner said.
In Washington, Congressional Democrats immediately condemned the pause as dangerous and illegal.
"My Republican colleagues who have called Putin a war criminal and promised their continued support to Ukraine must join me in demanding President Trump immediately lift this disastrous and unlawful freeze," said Gregory Meeks, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Ukrainians reacted in shock on Tuesday following a decision by US President Donald Trump to suspend military aid to Kyiv, saying the move played into the Kremlin's hands.
Denys Kazansky, a Ukrainian media commentator said that while Washington had paused military aid to Kyiv "North Korea and Iran did not stop military aid to Russia".
Trump has also warned he would "not put up" much longer with Zelensky's defiance, and said Ukraine's leader should be "more appreciative" of US support.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said Zelensky "won't be around very long" without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.
The pause has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.
Zelensky for his part said Monday he was seeking for the war to end "as soon as possible."
The comment came after Zelensky accused Russia -- which invaded Ukraine in 2014 and greatly expanded the conflict in 2022 -- of not being serious about peace.
He insisted tough security guarantees were the only way to end the war.
But Trump's stance has upended US support for Ukraine, and Washington's allies more broadly, and stoked concern about Washington pivoting to Russia.
After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month Ukraine-Russia truce "in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure" -- potentially backstopped by troops on the ground.
Zelensky said discussions were still focusing on the "first steps," adding: "An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away" -- a comment that angered Trump.
On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility some 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the front line.
Trump has previously called Zelensky, president since 2019, a "dictator" for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war.
Zelensky dismissed calls for him to resign, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given NATO membership, which Russia -- and now the United States under Trump -- opposes.
US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Kyiv and Europe for being sidelined, and prompting fears that any deal could threaten Ukraine's future.
© Agence France-Presse
