President Donald Trump has directed a "pause" to US military assistance to Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting as Trump seeks to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to engage in peace talks with Russia. A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal to end the more than three-year war sparked by Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine, and wants Zelenskyy "committed" to that goal. The official added that the US was "pausing and reviewing" its aid to "ensure that it is contributing to a solution." The pause is not believed to be a permanent end of US assistance. Trump in the leadup to his 2024 election win vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine. He's expressed increasing frustration with Zelenskyy over the war, while simultaneously expressing confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin can be trusted to keep the peace if a truce in the conflict is reached. Trump earlier on Monday slammed Zelensky for suggesting that the end of Russia's war against Ukraine likely "is still very, very far away". The comments come as prominent Trump allies escalate pressure on Zelenskyy to dramatically change his approach to the US president, who has made quickly ending the war a top priority, or step aside. The relationship between Trump and Zelensky has been strained following a contentious meeting at the White House, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastised Zelenskyy for not being sufficiently appreciative of US support for Ukraine. In his upcoming speech before Congress, Trump is set to discuss the future of a US-Ukraine agreement involving rare earth minerals, which has now been thrown into doubt. While he had previously refused to sign the deal with Ukraine, citing a lack of appreciation from President Zelensky, Trump has, however, continued to describe the deal as "great." He is expected to reveal further details during his address on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also assured British officials that the US is committed to negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, expressing gratitude for the UK's efforts to encourage Europe to bolster its defense in a phone call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. — Euronews
