Unlock the White House Watch watch newsletter for free
Your guide on what the US elections of 2024 mean for Washington and Le Monde
The United States suspended military aid to Ukraine while Donald Trump seeks to increase pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make concessions only a few days after the two leaders were public at the White House for Peace talks with Russia.
Trump’s decision is a coherent offer of American military assistance, including weapons in kyiv since Moscow launched its Ukraine’s large -scale invasion three years ago.
This comes in the midst of growing tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy, while the American president tries to push Ukraine to quickly settle the conflict with Russia.
A White House official said on Monday: “The president was clear that he focuses on peace. We also need our partners to be engaged in this goal. We stop and examine our help to ensure that it contributes to a solution. »»
Trump’s move came after renewing his attacks on the president of Ukraine on social networks and in remarks to the journalists of the White House on Monday afternoon, after the dramatic confrontation of the Oval Office on Friday.
“I just think it should be more grateful, because this country has stayed with them through thick and thin,” said Trump about Zelenskyy on Monday. He also suggested that the leader of Ukraine could be absent if he fails to conclude an agreement with Moscow.
“It should not be a difficult agreement to conclude,” added the president. “It could be done very quickly. Now, maybe someone does not want to conclude an agreement, and if someone does not want to conclude an agreement, I think that person will not be very long. “”
After the frost emerged on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to suggest that he was linked to a broader diplomatic effort. “We want to bring the Russians to a negotiating table. We want to explore if peace is possible, “he said in a declarationwithout directly mentioning the suspension.
Trump’s decision will add an emergency to efforts in many European capitals to strengthen their own military support in kyiv, as a prolonged break in American aid could give a great advantage to the Russian forces on the battlefield.
The Institute for the Study of War in Washington warned that the decision to cut aid in the United States on Monday evening “would be able to directly undermine the president of President Trump to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine”.
“Russia would take advantage of the cessation of American aid to Ukraine to grasp more territory in Ukraine and try to exhaust European support – the approach that Putin described in his theory of victory,” added the ISW.
Trump’s decision comes after a weekend of intense diplomatic activities in Europe-including a summit organized by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and a one-month ceasefire plan proposed by Emmanuel Macron, president of France-to try to forge a regulation on better conditions for kyiv.
Trump’s decision to end Ukraine in the United States comes on the eve of his speech to a joint congress session – the first of his second term.
The president tried to conclude an agreement with kyiv which would give the United States access to Ukrainian critical minerals, but the agreement – which US officials consider as a point of view of Washington support for Ukraine – was postponed after the White House confrontation.
However, Brian Fitzpatrick, a member of the Pennsylvania Republican Congress, said on Monday that he spoke to Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of Zelenskyy, and thought that the signing of the agreement was imminent.
Fitzpatrick wrote on X before the announcement: “We are 100% to recover this train on the tracks. This mineral agreement will be signed in a short time, which will lead to a solid long-term economic partnership between the United States and Ukraine, and which will ultimately and naturally lead to security assistance. »»
“Europe will have to intensify and do its part, and there will be mandates to do exactly that,” he added.
The Democrats immediately attacked the suspension of military aid and asked that it be reversed.
“Donald Trump’s decision unilaterally suspend the financing of Ukraine is reckless, indefensible and a direct threat to our national security,” said Brendan Boyle, a member of the Pennsylvania Democratic Congress.
“The world is looking at, and we cannot afford to leave the reckless actions of Trump undergo our commitment to our allies and our democracy itself.”
