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Volodymyr Zelensky has been urged to apologise to Donald Trump after the US announced it will be suspending all military aid to Ukraine.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian MP, said the decision to pause military aid will be “catastrophic” and “thousands of people will die” as a result.
He added president Trump’s decision will “embolden” Putin, making the division even bigger.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Goncharenko said the Ukrainian president must do “everything he can in order to get out of this” and said “he needs to go and apologise” to MR Trump.
The Kremlin has welcomed the suspension of aid, adding it is the best contribution towards peace.
A Trump administration official said the US president was focused on reaching a peace deal to end the war, and wanted Mr Zelensky “committed” to that goal. The US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid, the official added, to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”.
The decision came just hours after Mr Trump voiced frustration at Mr Zelensky for suggesting that the end of Russia‘s war against Ukraine likely “is still very, very far away”.
What has Donald Trump decided over US weapons to Ukraine?
The presidential order to suspend all current American military aid to Ukraine takes effect immediately and includes all US military equipment not currently in Ukraine, including weapons in transit and at depots in Poland.
The pause will affect more than $1bn (£790m) in arms and ammunition, including missiles, vehicles and key shells used to keep Vladimir Putin’s forces at bay.
After the explosive clash with Ukraine’s President Zelensky in the Oval Office last week, Donald Trump has said that he thinks Ukraine’s leader should be more appreciative of the assistance he has already received from the US – and made clear that he does not believe Zelensky is ready to discuss a peace deal with Russia.
The last time there was a delay in US aid to Ukraine, as Trump-supporting politicians in Congress held up the sign-off of an extension worth tens of billions of dollars, Ukrainian units on the frontline had to work to conserve ammunition in particular – leaving them vulnerable to increased attacks.
Chris Stevenson4 March 2025 07:21
Full report | Rayner insists ‘nothing has changed’ despite Trump pulling military support for Ukraine
Jabed Ahmed4 March 2025 10:15
Reeves vows to cut red tape and boost UK arms production
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will promise to cut red tape to make it easier for the Government to buy military equipment.
She will tell a manufacturing industry conference in London later on Tuesday that she wants to “fire up Britain’s industrial base” to step up arms production.
The Chancellor will say: “I am proud of our manufacturing sector, and the opportunities that it creates for the future – bringing more jobs and growth to parts of the country that have been ignored.
“For too long politicians of all stripes have ducked and dodged the decisions needed to fire up Britain’s industrial base and unleash its potential to keep the country safe. We’re changing that by increasing defence spending and making defence a cornerstone of our industrial strategy to create jobs, drive growth and meet emerging global threats head on.”
Ministers will review “single source” contract rules that govern the majority of defence deals to incentivise faster delivery, learning lessons from the successful and rapid procurement of arms for Ukraine.
Single source contracts are not open to competition for national security reasons, or because there is only one specialist supplier available.
Jabed Ahmed4 March 2025 10:04
Trump turns on Starmer and allies in new Ukraine tirade – even as PM insists US is vital to peace deal
In what could be a major setback in ending Russia’s war on Ukraine, the US president fired off a tirade just as the prime minister was on his feet in the Commons insisting America was vital, sincere and indispensable in the path to peace.
Sir Keir rejected calls from MPs for Britain to shun Mr Trump and America after last week’s extraordinary ambush on Mr Zelensky in the White House Oval Office.
Political editor David Maddox reports:
Alex Croft4 March 2025 09:57
Trump did not consult allies on military aid pause, says Poland
US president Donald Trump did not consult allies on its decision to pause military aid to Ukraine, a Polish foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“This is a very important decision, and the situation is very serious,” Pawel Wronski told reporters.
“This sentence may sound banal, but it has great political significance – [the decision] was made without any information, or consultation, neither with NATO allies, nor with the Ramstein group, which is involved in supporting Ukraine in its fight.”
Alex Croft4 March 2025 09:44
How reliant is Ukraine on US weapons?
It was a Ukrainian concern that has been simmering for months but one Kyiv hoped it could allay with diplomacy.
As Mr Trump and his vice-president JD Vance berated Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday night for not saying thank you for the past three years of support, that concern suddenly became a serious possibility.
But how reliant is Ukraine on US military aid?
Alex Croft4 March 2025 09:37
Kremlin: US must lift sanctions if it wants normalised relations
The US will need to lift sanctions on Moscow if it wishes to normalise relations between the countries, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
It comes after Reuters reported that the US is preparing plans to potentially give Russia sanctions relief as Donald Trump seeks to restore ties with Moscow, according to a US official and another source.
It is too early to comment on the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, but Moscow’s stance is that the sanctions levied against Russia are illegal.
Alex Croft4 March 2025 09:23
Kremlin: Pausing US military aid is best hope for peace
Pausing US military aid to Ukraine is the best contribution towards peace, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
But it cautioned that Russia must clarify the details of Donald Trump’s move to suspend the aid.
The move could also encourage Kyiv to seek peace, the Kremlin said, adding that it was clear that the US was Ukraine’s main arms supplier in the war.
Alex Croft4 March 2025 09:18
Watch: Ukrainian MP urges European leaders to focus on bringing US back ‘on board’ rather than issuing statements
Alex Croft4 March 2025 09:15
Military aid cut ‘only helps Putin’, says Farage
Donald Trump’s decision to slash military aid to Ukraine will “only help Putin”, Nigel Farage has said.
“The breakdown in talks and aid between the US and Ukraine only helps Putin,” the Reform UK leader wrote on X.
“I hope that @Keir_Starmer can use his new role to bring the two together and soon.”
Alex Croft4 March 2025 09:05
