US President Donald Trump has ordered a "freeze" of military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing because Volodymyr Zelensky had taken American support for granted. This was stated by the US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
“The president decided to pause intelligence sharing and military aid to send a message to Zelensky that he should not take the help of American citizens for granted“, she said on Fox News.
The US administration is closely monitoring the statements and actions of the Kiev leadership and is encouraged by the latest signals, but the pause in the provision of military aid remains in force. This was stated by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, answering questions from journalists before a meeting with his British counterpart John Healey.
Asked about the possibility of resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, Hegseth stressed that they are "on hold" until there is "real commitment to the path to peace" from the Ukrainian side. "The president is following very closely what the Ukrainians are saying and doing in relation to the peace process. We are encouraged by the signals we are receiving. Ultimately, the decision is his, but for now it is postponed", said the Pentagon chief.
Hegseth noted that the US is "interested in creating the conditions for peace". At the same time, in his assessment, the end of the conflict is now “closer than ever“.
The United States will be prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia without hesitation if this is necessary to achieve progress in the peaceful settlement of Ukraine. This was stated by the head of the US Treasury Department, Scott Besant.
„The current administration has maintained sanctions and will not hesitate to impose new ones if this helps to influence peace negotiations“, Bloomberg quoted the minister as saying at the Economic Club of New York.
„According to the president's instructions, sanctions will be used openly and aggressively to achieve immediate and maximum effect.“, he said.
According to Besant, however, the United States will closely monitor the restrictions that are being introduced to ensure that the restrictive measures achieve their intended goals.
Earlier, Trump extended the validity of some of the sanctions previously imposed on Russia in connection with the situation in Ukraine for one year.