WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
Choose language:
AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
The United States is suspending military aid to Ukraine, days after US President Donald Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, a White House official confirmed to Reuters.
"The president has made it clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal. We are pausing and reviewing our assistance to make sure it contributes to a solution," the official said.
Zelensky's office did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
"This is not a permanent cutoff of aid, it is a diversion," Fox News quoted a Trump administration official as saying. Bloomberg reported that all US military equipment not currently in Ukraine has been stopped, including weapons in transit on planes and ships or waiting in transit areas in Poland.
17:07 Zelensky's reaction to US military aid suspension: Ukraine ready to sit down at the negotiating table
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to sign a minerals and security agreement with the United States and work under the "strong leadership" of President Donald Trump.
Although he admitted that his meeting with President Donald Trump "did not go as it should have," Zelensky reiterated his commitment to peace in Ukraine and praised Trump for providing Javelin missiles to the Ukrainian military.
Read more about Zelensky's message HERE.
16:42 British Prime Minister to Trump: We should support Zelensky, not pander to Putin
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sent a strong message to US President Donald Trump last night, stressing that the economic agreement on rare earth minerals with Ukraine is not enough to guarantee security and that everyone should support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country has been attacked, and not pander to Putin.
"The minerals deal is not enough in itself. But can I just remind him (Trump, ed.), Russia is an aggressor, Zelensky is a warlord whose country has been attacked and we should all support him, not pander to Putin," Starmer said.
15:26 Marine Le Pen strongly criticizes US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine
The leader of the French far-right and the National Rally party, in a statement to the French Figaro, described the Trump administration's decision as brutal and expressed concern about the possible consequences for European security.
"It is very cruel for Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting to defend their country," she said.
"No one can force America to continue supporting Ukraine, but it is bad that they did not give Ukraine a reasonable period to come to terms," Le Pen added.
"While we have always advocated a more moderate approach to the conflict in Ukraine, the sudden suspension of aid by the Trump administration is a shocking development that exposes Europe to its vulnerability," said Le Pen, known for her skepticism of American influence in Europe.
Le Pen further emphasized the need for European strategic autonomy.
"This situation highlights the urgent need for Europe to develop its own defense capabilities and reduce its dependence on America," Le Pen said.
15:00 Plenković: I spoke to Zelensky by phone
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Plenković spoke again by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reiterating that Croatia best understands what the Ukrainian people are going through and that it continues to provide support.
Plenković announced on the X platform that he had discussed further steps to achieve peace with the Ukrainian president after the London summit and ahead of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council.
"Croatia, which best understands what the Ukrainian people are going through, continues to provide strong support and comprehensive assistance to Ukraine. We stand for a lasting, just and sustainable peace based on the sovereignty of Ukraine and the fundamental principles of international law," Plenković's announcement said.
14:52 Poland: We did not know in advance that Trump would cut military aid to Ukraine
Ukrainian allies were not informed in advance of Donald Trump's decision to cut military aid, the Polish foreign minister said, while politicians in Europe, shaken by new dramatic evidence of a shift in American policy, reiterated their support for Kiev.
"The US president's announcement was made without any information or consultation, neither with NATO allies nor with the Ramstein group, which supports Ukraine," ministry spokesman Paweł Wronski said.
Wronski called the decision very important and very serious.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a cabinet meeting in Warsaw that Europe was now facing unprecedented risks, including "the biggest in recent decades when it comes to security."
Tusk said his government would have to make extraordinary decisions. "The decision to suspend US aid to Ukraine has been announced, and it may start and lift sanctions on Russia. We have no reason to think that these are just words," he said.
"This puts Europe, Ukraine and Poland in a difficult situation," he said, adding that Warsaw is determined to "increase activities in Europe to increase defense capabilities," while maintaining the best possible relations with the United States.
14:09 British MP: We must consider the possibility that Trump is a Russian agent
Graham Stewart, a British Conservative MP, criticized US President Donald Trump on the X network and said that the possibility that Trump is a Russian agent must be considered.
"We must consider the possibility that President Trump is a Russian agent. If so, Trump's acquisition is the crowning achievement of Putin's FSB career - and Europe is left to its own devices," Stewart wrote on X.
Stewart's reaction comes after the Trump administration's recent decision to suspend all military aid to Ukraine, which has raised concerns among allies and questions about Trump's loyalty to NATO.
13:30 Vance: 20,000 troops from some random country will not bring peace to Ukraine
US Vice President JD Vance has commented on plans to send British and French troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, saying that the presence of troops from "some random country" will not be enough to ensure peace. In an interview with Fox News, Vance said that the only way to achieve lasting peace is to ensure that the US has an economic interest in Ukraine's future.
"If we want real security guarantees, if we want to make sure that Vladimir Putin never attacks Ukraine again, the best way is for Americans to have an economic interest in its future," Vance said.
"It's a much better security guarantee than sending 20,000 soldiers from a country that hasn't been at war in decades."
12:28 Ukrainian Prime Minister: Kiev is ready to sign a minerals agreement with the US
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said that Ukraine would continue diplomatic cooperation with the US through all available channels and stressed that it was still ready to sign a minerals agreement with the United States.
He added that Kiev would do everything to maintain the current level of cooperation with the US, emphasizing that American military aid is crucial because it saves thousands of lives.
11:20 Reaction from Paris
French Minister for Europe Benjamin Hadad assessed that the decision to suspend arms deliveries to Ukraine is pushing peace further away.
"The decision to suspend arms deliveries to Ukraine is pushing peace further away because it only strengthens the hand of the aggressor on the ground, which is Russia," he added.
"We must never forget: there is an aggressor in this war, which is Russia, and Ukraine has been defending itself bravely for three years," Hadad said.
11:10 Fiala: We must not let Russia's aggressive policy succeed
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called for a "fundamental change" in European policy in response to Donald Trump's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine.
In a post on social media, he wrote:
"President Trump's decision highlights the urgent need for a fundamental change in current European policy.
We must strengthen our economic and military capabilities and take full responsibility for our own security. This requires increased investment in defense. Ensuring our security also means strengthening support for Ukraine. We must not let Russia's aggressive policy, which threatens us all, succeed.
"The time when we relied on others to solve key international challenges for us is over. Now is the time for Europe to decisively move from words to deeds."
10:37 First Kremlin reaction arrives
The Kremlin called Donald Trump's decision to suspend US military aid to Ukraine "the best contribution to achieving peace".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the move could encourage Kiev to "seek peace", but added that he expected European countries to try to compensate Ukraine for the loss of military aid.
Although the Kremlin stressed that it would first study the details of the suspension of US aid, it stressed that it welcomed Trump's desire for peace in Ukraine.
Peskov also stated that any normalization of relations between Russia and the US would require the lifting of economic sanctions and that the greatest contribution to peace that the US could make would be to stop funding Ukraine.
10:09 Von der Leyen presents a five-point plan: Europe will sharply increase defense spending
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen made a statement in Bissell on European defense spending and signaled that Europe is ready to sharply increase its defense spending because, as she says, we are once again in an era of armaments.
Von der Leyen says she has written a letter to European leaders outlining a five-point plan to rearm Europe:
- Free up the use of public funds for defence - if member states increase defence spending by 1.5% of GDP, von der Leyen says, this could create fiscal space of close to €650 billion over four years
- A new instrument providing €150 billion in loans to member states for defence investment
- Using the power of the European Union budget
- Mobilising private capital through the Savings and Investment Union
- Mobilising private capital through the European Investment Bank
Von der Leyen says plans to strengthen European defence and increase military capacity could mobilise around €800 billion. "This is the moment Europe finds itself in and we have to live with it," she adds.
