US President Donald Trump has reportedly paused all military aid to Ukraine, according to a White House official speaking to Reuters. The move comes just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington, aimed at signing a key minerals deal between the US and Ukraine, ended in a heated clash between the president, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy.
‘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,’ said the official on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
As of March 2025, the United States has provided approximately $65.9 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. This military aid is part of a broader support package totalling around $175 billion, which includes financial and humanitarian assistance.
The Fumbled Deal
As reported by Hungarian Conservative, Zelenskyy travelled to Washington on Friday to officially sign an agreement on the joint exploration and extraction of Ukraine’s vast reserves of critical resources, including rare earth minerals. Trump had pushed for the deal as it could ease the US’s dependence on its main rival, China, for these vital materials. China is the world’s largest producer of rare earth minerals and controls the biggest deposits globally. Washington had sought to tap into Ukraine’s reserves in exchange for the military and financial aid it has provided to the war-torn country since 2022.
The final draft of the deal would, in fact, have been highly favourable to Kyiv, with plans to establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 per cent of the proceeds from the future monetization of state-owned mineral resources, including oil and gas, as well as associated logistics. However, security guarantees from Washington were omitted from the text after Trump withdrew his initial demand for a right to $500 billion in potential revenue.
The agreement was set to be signed until Friday when the two presidents held a press conference in the Oval Office. The event, already tense from the outset, took an unfortunate turn after Vance accused Zelenskyy—rightfully—of showing disrespect to the American people and the administration. The feud between the two quickly escalated, with both sides—including Trump—adamantly defending their positions. The confrontation culminated in Zelenskyy storming out of the White House without signing the agreement.
‘Be strong, be brave, be fearless’
Following the controversial press conference, Trump stated that Zelenskyy was not ready for peace and should return to the White House when he was. European leaders, who have been excluded from Ukraine peace talks since they began in early February, swiftly rallied behind the Ukrainian president—remarkably in unison, as every senior EU official posted the exact same message on social media.
Many have argued that Friday’s incident could further weaken Kyiv’s position in peace talks as Russian forces continue to advance, seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine. Brussels, however, saw an opportunity to recalibrate its strategy towards the war, which has largely consisted of mirroring US actions over the past three years. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas even referred to the EU—and Ukraine—as the ‘new leader of the free world’, a role claimed by the US for the past decades.
Brussels Opts for War Instead of Peace
As Trump reportedly halts US military aid to Ukraine, EU leaders are scheduled to meet on Thursday, 6 March, to discuss their next steps. Over the weekend, an emergency summit was held in London with the participation of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Canada. The gathering resulted in the formation of a so-called ‘coalition of the willing’, which pledged unconditional support for Kyiv and devised a peace plan countering US efforts. According to prior statements, this plan includes a one-month ceasefire covering air and sea attacks but not ground combat. European troops would be deployed if a more comprehensive peace agreement were reached.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, however, expressed support for Trump following his clash with Zelenskyy. In a post on X, Orbán stated: ‘Strong men make peace, weak men make war. Today President Trump stood bravely for peace, even if it was difficult for many to digest.’
Orbán also wrote a letter to European Council President António Costa, urging the EU to follow the US’s example and engage in bilateral peace talks with Russia. The EU’s official stance prohibits direct communication with Moscow; however, some Western leaders, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, have held phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. In the letter, which was later leaked to the media, Orbán argued that strategic differences among EU member states regarding Ukraine could not be bridged through mere diplomatic statements.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also addressed the proposal to establish a new €20 billion fund for purchasing air defence equipment and missiles for Ukraine, which is set to be decided on Thursday. He warned that such a decision requires unanimous approval from all member states. Hungary and Slovakia oppose the initiative and are pushing for peace negotiations instead.
In a follow-up to the London summit, Orbán stated in another post that EU leaders decided that they wanted to go on with the war instead of opting for peace. ‘This is bad, dangerous and mistaken,’ he added.
Political Director of the Hungarian Prime Minister Balázs Orbán reiterated Hungary’s long-standing position in a post on X: ’Hungary's position is that direct negotiations with Russia must begin immediately in order to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace.’ He added that Budapest expects EU leaders to ‘act as responsible politicians—considering both human lives and economic damage—and to take steps towards an immediate ceasefire and peace.’
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