President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine following his dispute with Ukrainian President Zelensky last week.
It comes after the pair clashed at the White House on Friday, in which Trump criticised him for being insufficiently grateful for Washington's backing in the war with Russia.
An official said: "President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution."
The Ukrainian parliamentary foreign affairs committee chair told reporters this morning the Trump military aid pause "looks really bad, it looks like he is pushing Kyiv towards capitulation."
Trump and Zelensky have clashed in the White House
Getty
An image from Russia's latest aerial attack against KyivReutersDemocrats in the US Congress denounced the move, accusing the President of opening the door for Putin.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters: "By freezing military aid to Ukraine, President Trump has kicked the door wide open for Putin to escalate his violent aggression against innocent Ukrainians. The repercussions will undoubtedly be devastating."
Trump repeated his claim that Zelensky should be more appreciative of American support after earlier responding angrily to an Associated Press report quoting Zelensky as saying the end of the war is "very, very far away."
The Republican wrote on his social media page: "This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer!"
LATEST ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Reuters
A view shows the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa
Reuters
Ukrainian flags are draped over the shoulders of protesters during a rally calling for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war
Reuters
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey wrote on X: "By suspending all military aid to Ukraine, Donald Trump has humiliated the people who pretended he was a reliable ally only in search of peace.
"The UK and Europe must seize frozen Russian assets to resist Putin’s unjust and savage war."
Razom for Ukraine, a Ukrainian advocacy group, condemned the White House's decision on aid. The group said in a statement: "By abruptly halting military assistance to Ukraine, President Trump is hanging Ukrainians out to dry and giving Russia the green light to keep marching west."
France, Britain and potentially other European countries have offered to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire - something Moscow has already rejected - but say they would want support from the US, or a "backstop."
A view shows the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine
Handout via Reuters
Nato leaders join Ukrainian president Zelensky
Reuters
A British Government spokesperson said: “We remain absolutely committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine and are engaging with key allies in support of this effort. It is the right thing to do, and is in our interest to do so.
"We have bolstered Ukrainian military capabilities through our commitment to provide Ukraine with £3 billion-a-year in military aid for as long as it takes and through a £2.26 billion loan using sanctioned Russian assets.
"In addition, we’ve set up a partnership with Ukraine that allows them to use £1.6 billion of UK Export Finance to buy 5,000 air defence missiles manufactured in Belfast, putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position for peace."
