Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy went off the rails very quickly, with the Ukrainian President abruptly leaving without signing the minerals deal. Following the heated exchange, the president ordered pausing US aid to Ukraine. Now, the Kremlin has responded to Trump’s decision, revealing that it would “encourage the Kyiv regime to the peace process.”
On March 3, following the spat with Zelenskyy, the White House officially revealed that the United States would be halting and “reviewing” its military aid to Ukraine to ensure that it is “contributing to a solution.” The White House statement clearly said, “The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well.”
Following the announcement, Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, responded with a positive statement. “If this is true, then this is a decision that can really encourage the Kyiv regime to the peace process,” he said.
Peskov added, “It is obvious that the United States has been the main supplier of this war so far. If the United States stops being (an arms supplier) or suspends these supplies, it will probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace,” as quoted by Reuters<.
Notably, the United States has provided the equivalent of $65.9 billion in military support since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.
“We hear his statement about his desire to bring peace to Ukraine, and this is welcome. We see certain things and receive certain information about the proposed actions in this direction. This is also welcome. But we will continue to see how the situation develops in reality,” the Kremlin spokesperson further added to his statement.
The US can best contribute to peace by stopping aid to Ukraine — #Kremlin Spox #Dmitri_Peskov also said that Moscow agrees with #Trump that in past years he used to give Russia ‘nothing but grief’#USA | #Russia | #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/AyWjjNoSvc
— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) March 4, 2025
On Friday, February 28, Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump and Vance at the White House. However, the encounter went south, with the VP accusing Zelenskyy of being disrespectful towards both the US and its President. The Ukrainian leader attempted to counter attack by lamenting, “During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel [it] now, but you will feel it in the future.”
His statement triggered the Republican leader who lashed out at Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that he is “in no position to dictate” how the United States should feel. “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart before accusing him of “gambling with World War Three.”
The “stand with Ukraine, whatever it takes” narrative just collapsed.
Zelensky looks like an ungrateful panhandler.
Ukraine cannot win, when all of their men die, what then?
The west send their men? That’s world war three. pic.twitter.com/7tdtaOs8NE— Nate, or, Mr H Reviews (@MrHreviews) February 28, 2025
Following the disastrous White House meeting, Zelenskyy talked to the reporters in London saying, “We want our partners to remember who the aggressor is in the war….we need peace, not endless war.” While, JD Vance stated that the door to the negotiation is still open despite the spat, it is only possible if the Ukrainian leader “seriously wants to talk peace. ”
However, as Donald Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine, experts fear without assistance from the United States, Kyiv may only be able to held out for a few more months before Russia breaks through, as per Al Jazeera. The pause will be in effect until Zelenskyy shows a commitment to peace talk with Russia, according to The Associated Press.
