Donald Trump pauses Ukraine military aid days after fiery spat with Zelenskyy

"The President has been clear that he is focused on peace,” a senior administration official told VOA in an email. The official is not being named, as is customary when engaging with reporters. “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."

Earlier Monday, Trump was pointed in saying a deal for rare earth minerals was key to continued U.S. support of Ukraine, and said he would make an announcement on the matter Tuesday when he speaks before a joint session of Congress.

There was fallout on both sides of the Atlantic Monday amid mounting European concerns about Ukraine’s future, as European leaders scrambled after Trump’s contentious Friday exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That Oval Office blow-up ended a minerals deal that Trump argued was key for continuing U.S. support for Ukraine.

Trump has pushed to end the fighting, but Zelenskyy has expressed fears that Trump is attempting to settle the conflict on terms more favorable to Moscow than Kyiv.

On Monday, the business-minded president hammered his increasingly blunt point: If Ukraine wants to survive, Zelenskyy needs to make a deal.

“It can be made very fast,” Trump said. “Now, maybe somebody doesn't want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn't want to make a deal, I think that person won't be around very long. That person will not be listened to very long, because I believe that Russia wants to make a deal. I believe certainly the people of Ukraine want to make a deal. They've suffered more than anybody else."

Earlier in the day in a social media posting, Trump derided Zelenskyy’s assessment that the end of Russia’s war with his country “is still very, very far away," calling that “the worst statement.”

“America will not put up with it for much longer!” he added.

Analysts say they understand where Trump lands on major issues like Ukraine’s future membership in NATO and the prospect of U.S. troops on the ground — both hard nos from Trump.

But on this economic deal, they say, they can’t predict the president’s next move.

Even before Zelenskyy landed in Washington, the deal was painted in broad strokes. It was meant to allow U.S. investment in rare-earth mineral exploration in exchange for reinvestment.

But Zelenskyy had insisted on the need for U.S. security guarantees, which were not in the original draft.

“It’s still unclear what Trump's plan really is,” Anna Borshchevskaya, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told VOA in a Zoom interview. “What we can also see what has emerged over the weekend is that Europe is stepping up to do more to deter Russia.”

After the White House meeting fell apart, Zelenskyy flew across the Atlantic to meet with European allies. He was warmly greeted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

At Westminster on Monday, Starmer reiterated Britain’s offer of peacekeepers and announced $2 billion for 5,000 air defense missiles for Ukraine. He echoed the narrative that former President Joe Biden used to justify U.S. support — that the Belfast-made products would feed back into the British economy.

"Britain will play a leading role with, if necessary, and together with others, boots on the ground and planes in the air,” he said, speaking to Parliament. "Mr. Speaker, it is right that Europe do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent. But to succeed, this effort must also have strong U.S. backing.”

That followed the talks Sunday in London during which Starmer told 18 allies that with the United States wavering in its support for Ukraine, Europe finds itself "at a crossroads in history.”

Also Monday, the two men at the center of the three-year-war delivered their messages to the world, which showed how far apart these neighbors are on ending the war.

Zelenskyy said his country remained ready to sign a rare-earth minerals deal with the U.S., and that he believes he can salvage relations with Trump.

"The failure of Ukraine is not just [the] success of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Zelenskyy said. “It is the failure of Europe. It is the failure of the United States of America. I think we are all interested in not giving Putin an opportunity to win."

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, told journalists, “What happened in the White House on Friday certainly showed how difficult it will be to get on the path to a settlement around Ukraine. The Kyiv regime and Zelenskyy do not want peace.”

“They want the war to continue. Therefore, in this situation, of course, Washington's efforts and Moscow's readiness alone will clearly not be enough. A crucial element is missing,” he said.

The day before, Peskov said Washington’s foreign policy shift toward Russia is largely aligned with Moscow's vision.

"The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” he said, in an interview with Russian state television that was recorded last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Beijing also expressed wishes for a resolution.

"China is not the creator or a party to the Ukraine crisis, and we support all efforts conducive to peacefully resolving the issue, said Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. ”We hope all parties concerned will work out a lasting and sustainable solution that addresses each other’s concerns."

Trump plans to make his next Ukraine pronouncement during his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.