Trump to hold Ukraine meeting on next steps including possible aid freeze
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Editor's note: Read the latest on Trump's decision to pause all U.S. military aid to Ukraine here.
President Trump will hold a meeting Monday afternoon on the next steps regarding the crisis with Ukraine, including a possible suspension of U.S. military aid, a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of the meeting told Axios.
Why it matters: Trump and his allies have been piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after their disastrous Oval Office meeting last week. Suspending military aid would damage Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion and further weaken Ukraine's leverage as Trump pushes for peace talks.
The latest: Trump responded on Truth Social to an AP report that Zelensky had said the end of the war was "still very, very far away," writing: "This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!"
- "It is what I was saying, this guy doesn't want there to be Peace as long as he has America's backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S.," Trump continued.
- "Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?"
The other side: Zelensky wrote on X that "it is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible."
- "We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our cities and towns. We lose our people. We need to stop the war and to guarantee security.
- "We are working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace. Peace is needed as soon as possible."
Driving the news: That exchange seems to set the tone for Monday's meeting.
- Along with Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National security adviser Mike Waltz and other senior officials are expected to participate, the sources said.
- The White House didn't immediately respond to questions.
- The New York Times first reported about the meeting.
What they are saying: Waltz told Fox News on Monday that time is not on Zelensky's side.
- "The American people's patience is not unlimited, their wallets are not unlimited, and our stockpiles and munitions are not unlimited," Waltz said. "So the time to talk is now."
- Trump's national security adviser added that in order to fix the crisis, Zelensky needs to express regret for his public spat with the president in the Oval Office last Friday, say he is ready to sign the minerals deal and that he is ready to engage in peace talks with Russia.
Friction point: Trump has been calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine, to be followed by negotiation. But Zelensky is resistant to the idea of an unconditional ceasefire.
- The Trump-Zelensky meeting became particularly contentious after Zelensky claimed Putin had violated previous agreements and could not be trusted.
- Russia has also not advocated for a ceasefire, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Sunday that Trump's "rapidly changing" foreign policy "largely coincides with our vision."
Update: Trump told reporters Monday that he "hasn't even talked" until now about suspending military assistance to Ukraine. He added that Zelensky "needs to be more appreciative" towards the U.S. in order to solve the current crisis.
Editor's note: This story was updated with the comments from Trump and Zelensky.
