Donald Trump has made the decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine following a tense meeting with the European country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (28 February).

The US Government announced the order following a meeting between President Trump and senior advisors on Monday (3 March) to discuss the aid and its future.

The decision came after an argument with President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, in a meeting in front of the media.

Trump accused Zelenskyy of ‘gambling with WW3’, while Russian officials praised the US President’s handling of the situation, even calling Zelenskyy a ‘scumbag’.

A White House official anonymously revealed to Sky News: “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 is contributing to a solution.”

There is currently no set length in place, while Ukraine have yet to respond to the move, as the pause will go into effect immediately.

Zelenskyy had recently claimed that peace was ‘very, very far away’, with Trump calling it ‘the worst statement that could have been made’.

Speaking on his on social media platform, Truth Social, the 47th US President said: “America will not put up with it for much longer!”

“It is what I was saying, this guy [Zelenskyy] doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing,” he claimed.

The Presidents were at odds during Friday’s meeting (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A second White House official stated to Fox News: “This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause,

“The orders are going out right now.”

It had been reported by the New York Times that over $1 billion (£787.3 million) in arms and ammunition will be withheld by the US, with Ukraine now forced to deal with private contractors.

The Biden administration provided Kyiv with over $66.5 billion (£52.3 billion) in military aid since the nation’s war with Russia began.

It left around $3.85 billion (£3 billion) in authorised funding that could send more weapons to Ukraine from existing American stockpiles, which has been left unaffected following the foreign aid freeze Trump put on once he was in office.

While Biden stopped the deliveries of deadly bombs to Israel following concerns in Gaza, Trump has made this move to provide an ultimatum to Zelenskyy, who may face huge losses in the war.

Zelenskyy may be forced to make a decision soon (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

While other members of NATO has promised to help Ukraine following the meeting in the White House last week, none of them have the fire power that the US boasts.

Vice President JD Vance has also spoken out against Zelenskyy, calling him entitled and accusing him of ‘needling’ the US President.

Speaking to Fox News, he explained: “He showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process that Trump said is the policy,” saying that the meeting ‘really set Zelenskyy off’.

“I really don’t care what President Zelenskyy says about me or anybody else. But he showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process that President Trump has said is the policy of the American people and of their president,” he further claimed.

Ukraine’s ambassador had a very relatable reaction to Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy locking horns in the Oval Office earlier today.

As the world leaders discussed the contentious topic of remedying Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine alongside Vice President JD Vance, tempers began to flare.

Telling Zelenskyy he should be ‘thankful’ for the US stepping in to try and smooth things over, Trump then launched into a scathing rant. Take a look at this:

Warning the Ukrainian leader, 47, that he was ‘gambling with World War III‘, the US President said: “Your country is in big trouble. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.

“If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks,” Trump said, before he then told the room it would be ‘very hard to do business like this’.

As Vance also chimed in to tell Zelenskyy he was ‘wrong’, Trump then said: “You don’t have the cards right now. You’re buried there, people are dying, you’re running low on soldiers.

“With us, you have the cards…You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III! What you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country.”

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy clashed with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office today (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Needless to say, the meeting didn’t look half as chummy as the one Trump just had with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

This was probably what was running through the mind of Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, if her reaction to the spat is anything to go by.

Footage of the politician – who Zelenskyy appointed in February 2021 – uncomfortably covering her face and holding her head in her hands has been circulating on social media.

In the short clip, Markarova also appeared to softly shake her head as Trump and Zelenskyy came to verbal blows in front of the media.

Ukraine’s Oksana Markarova was seen holding her head in her hands as the world leaders argued (X)

According to the BBC, she also did the same while leaving the White House with Zelenskyy, as the publication reported that Markarova ‘appeared to shake her head as she quietly shuffled past’.

A scheduled news conference between the quarrelling leaders has been cancelled following the chaos in the Oval Office, according to the White House.

Trump also issued a statement regarding the row in a post shared to his social media platform, Truth Social.

He wrote: “We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure.

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Reaction of Ukraine’s Ambassador to Washington to Trump and Zelenskyy’s debate.

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10:35 AM · Feb 28, 2025

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“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations.

“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

I’ll bet Markarova’s really looking forward to round two, eh?

A large bruise spotted on Donald Trump’s hand has been explained after fears for the president’s health went viral.

At 78-years-old, Trump is currently the oldest president to be inaugurated in the White House, beating his predecessor Joe Biden by around 160 days. Trump would regularly make fun of Biden’s age and capability to lead the country – frequently referring to him as ‘Sleepy Joe’ – however it would appear the former businessman may not be immune to the effects of aging either.

Rumours began to circulate about whether or not the 78-year-old was as fighting fit as he claimed after a large bruise was spotted on his hand during a meeting with French leader Emmanuel Macron this week.

Speculation is swirling online about the state of the president’s health (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump met with the Macron in the White House’s Oval Office on Monday (24 February) to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine; however many people were more intrigued by the large discolouration on the president’s hand and wondered if his body was already showing strain from leadership.

“Some photos over the lasr [sic] few months show bruising on Trump’s hand. Maybe bruising from an iv. Always seems to be on the same hand,” one person wrote on X.

“That’s the kind of IV bruise you get when you’re on blood thinners. What are they pumping him with,” a second person questioned, while a third wrote: “This is the second time I have seen this. Are they hiding something?”

Meanwhile others were quick to point out that Trump is close to 80-years-old and that older people bruise easily due to thinning skin.

To be fair my grandma also has bruises on her hands at age 79 and has had them for years. It’s just something that happens when you’re old and trump is OLD,” a fourth person weighed in.

The orange foundation was fighting hard against this one (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Concerns over the bruise have since made their way back to the ears of the White House, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt claiming the injury was down to the fact that Trump is a busy man.

“President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other president in history,” she said, via LBC.

“His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day.”

“President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day,” she added in a second statement.

Trump is certainly no stranger to a crushing handshake, with the US president going viral once again after being photographed awkwardly grappling with his French counterpart’s hand during their meeting.

President Donald Trump’s mention of World War 3 last week has left everyone feeling a bit unnerved.

But it turns out that this isn’t the first time that the 78-year-old has broached the subject, as he made a series of remarks about it way before he came to verbal blows with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The world leaders wrangled over a minerals deal, security guarantees and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last Friday (28 February), making for one of the most shocking meetings in the Oval Office in history.

If you need a reminder of what went down, take a look at this:

In the footage, Trump tells the Ukrainian President, 47, that his country is in ‘a bad position’ and doesn’t ‘have the cards right now’.

“With us, you have the cards,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III! What you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country.”

Russian figures rallied behind the US commander-in-chief, saying Trump ‘is right’ about Zelenskyy risking an international conflict.

Interestingly, footage of Trump vowing to ‘prevent’ a devastating global war unfolding in September last year has now resurfaced – and in the words of one viewer, it’s ‘aged like spoiled milk’.

Ahead of the presidential elections in November 2024, the Republican was hitting the campaign trail in the hopes of bolstering his support.

Along the way, he made a lot of bold – and controversial – promises about what he would do when he returned to office.

The US President made a series of remarks about the prospect of WW3 long before his disastrous meeting with Zelenskyy (Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

During a speech at a rally in the US state of Georgia in September last year, Trump told the crowd of his plans to play peacemaker across the world.

“I will settle the war in Ukraine and I will end the chaos in the Middle East and I will prevent something that nobody else will be able to do,” he said in the clip. “I will prevent World War III. And you are very close to World War III.

“Biden and Kamala got us into this war in Ukraine and now they can’t get us out. They can’t get us out. I watched [Biden] – ‘We will win, we will win’.

“He’s been saying that for three years,” Trump continued. “Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion.

“I think he’s the greatest salesman on Earth. But we’re stuck in that war, unless I’m President. I’ll get it done, I’ll get it negotiated, I’ll get out. We got to get out.”

Trump pictured at the rally last September (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

One person said of Trump’s speech: “Aged like f***ing spoiled milk,” as another added: “The king of chaos is going to do all that? Yeah right.”

And a third wrote: “He’s starting [World War III], not preventing it.”

The evening before he took office on 20 January this year, Trump reiterated these comments at a rally in Washington DC in an almost identical speech.

“I will end the war in Ukraine,” the President said. “I will stop the chaos in the Middle East and I will prevent World War III from happening. And you have no idea how close we are.”

Despite these pledges, it seems that in Trump’s eyes, the world is continuing to teeter even closer to a global conflict.