How did the West react when Mr. Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine?
US President Donald Trump has halted military aid to Ukraine after a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, a White House official said, deepening a rift between the two former allies.
Here are some reactions from officials to the move:
By freezing military aid to Ukraine, President Trump has opened the door for Mr. Putin to escalate his actions… The consequences will surely be devastating.
SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN - SENIOR DEMOCRATIC MEMBER OF THE US SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
On the surface, this looks bad. It looks like he is forcing us to capitulate, that is, to accept Russia's demands. Stopping aid now would mean helping Putin.
OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO - CHAIRMAN OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE PARLIAMENT OF UKRAINE
We remain fully committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine and are working with key allies to support this effort. This is the right thing to do and it is in our interests.
UK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN
In essence, if you want peace, does the decision to halt arms supplies to Ukraine help make peace or make it more unlikely? It makes peace more unlikely, because it only strengthens Russia.
BENJAMIN HADDAD - FRENCH DEPUTY MINISTER FOR EUROPE
Europe must take full responsibility for its own security. This requires increased investment in defence. Ensuring our security also means stepping up support for Ukraine… The time of relying on others to solve fundamental international challenges for us is over.
PRIME MINISTER OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC PETR FIALA
The suspension of US military aid to Ukraine is bad news.
DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE OF POLAND CEZARY TOMCZYK
The US President and the Hungarian Government share the same view: instead of continuing to transport weapons and prolonging the war, there needs to be a ceasefire and peace negotiations as soon as possible.
HUNGARY GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN
