Military financing has been stopped, and officials are meeting to consider suspending another type of assistance
The Trump administration has halted funding for new weapons sales to Ukraine and is considering freezing arms shipments from U.S. stockpiles, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The pause on arms financing aligns with the administration’s broader freeze on foreign aid, but the latest move to potentially cut off military support follows a heated Oval Office exchange on Friday between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting ended abruptly, with Zelenskyy leaving the White House ahead of schedule, according to U.S. officials cited by the WSJ.
A White House meeting on Monday reportedly addressed whether to further restrict weapons transfers to Ukraine. Participants included Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, The Washington Post reported.
Friday’s meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy was expected to result in the signing of a critical minerals development agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine—a step Trump viewed as essential to advancing peace efforts between Kyiv and Moscow. However, the contentious exchange led to the cancellation of a scheduled luncheon and press conference.
Although Secretary of State Rubio has signed a waiver exempting Ukraine from the foreign aid freeze, the State Department has yet to notify the Pentagon, effectively leaving Ukraine cut off from receiving weapons under the Foreign Military Financing program, according to the WSJ.
Ukraine has multiple avenues to secure U.S. weapons, but the most critical has been presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to transfer arms from its own stockpiles. Even if Trump proceeds with further restrictions, Ukrainian forces are expected to have sufficient weapons to sustain operations against Russia through mid-2025, thanks in part to a major arms transfer completed under the Biden administration.
The fate of the critical minerals deal remains uncertain. Trump is expected to address the matter in his Tuesday night speech before Congress, while Zelenskyy has expressed a willingness to proceed with signing the agreement despite Friday’s diplomatic fallout.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 3rd August, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Ukraine’s military says it struck an oil refinery, storage facility and military airfield inside Russia, in one of its largest cross-border drone operations since the war began.
A senior UN official has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, warning of the mounting human cost of the war and urging both sides to respect international humanitarian law.
Germany announced on Friday it will send two more Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, following a deal with the United States that ensures Berlin will be prioritised for receiving the latest replacements.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro gathered in São Paulo on Sunday (3 August), calling for justice reform and denouncing legal cases against the far-right leader as politically motivated.
Democratic lawmakers in Texas said on Sunday they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move Republicans are seeking to protect their narrow U.S. House majority in next year's midterm elections.
A former U.S. Army soldier suspected of fatally shooting four people in rural Montana remains at large as of 3 August, authorities said, triggering a state-wide manhunt and warnings to residents, as well as a $7,500 reward for any information leading to the capture of the man.
Belgium has launched a humanitarian aid mission to the Gaza Strip, officials confirmed on 4 August, as the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn territory continues to worsen.
A senior adviser to Donald Trump accused India on 3 August of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through its ongoing oil trade with Moscow, sparking backlash from Indian officials and raising questions about future U.S.-India ties.
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