President Donald Trump on Monday directed a 맥스카지노�pause맥스카지노� to U.S. assistance to Ukraine as he seeks to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in negotiations to end the war with Russia.The move comes just days after a disastrous Oval Office meeting in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance tore into Zelenskyy for what they perceived as insufficient gratitude for the more than $180 billion U.S. has appropriated for military aid and other assistance to Kyiv since the start of Russia맥스카지노�s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy 맥스카지노�committed맥스카지노� to that goal. The official added that the U.S. was 맥스카지노�pausing and reviewing맥스카지노� its aid to "ensure that it is contributing to a solution.맥스카지노� The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, the official said.The halting of military aid comes some five years after Trump held up congressionally authorized assistance to Ukraine as he sought to pressure Zelenskyy to launch an investigation into Joe Biden, then a Democratic presidential candidate. The moment led to Trump맥스카지노�s first impeachment.In the leadup to the 2024 election, Trump vowed a quick end to the war in Ukraine, even once boasting that he could bring a halt to the fighting in one day. He has shown increasing frustration with Zelenskyy over the war while simultaneously expressing confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has long admired, can be trusted to keep the peace if a truce is reached.Trump earlier on Monday slammed Zelenskyy for suggesting that the end of the war likely 맥스카지노�is still very, very far away.맥스카지노� Zelenskyy had suggested it would take time to come to an agreement to end the war as he tried to offer a positive take on the U.S.-Ukraine relationship in the aftermath of last week맥스카지노�s White House meeting.맥스카지노�This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!맥스카지노� Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, responding to comments Zelenskyy made late Sunday to reporters.Trump, at a White House event later Monday, referred to Zelenskyy's reported comments and asserted the Ukrainian leader 맥스카지노�better not be right about that.맥스카지노�Zelenskyy later took to social media in an effort to further explain his thinking. He did not directly refer to Trump맥스카지노�s comments, but underscored that it 맥스카지노�is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�We need real peace and Ukrainians want it most because the war ruins our cities and towns,맥스카지노� Zelenskyy added. 맥스카지노�We lose our people. We need to stop the war and to guarantee security.맥스카지노�Trump administration and Ukrainian officials had been expected to sign off on a deal during Zelenskyy맥스카지노�s visit last week that would have given the U.S. access to Ukraine맥스카지노�s critical minerals in part to pay back the U.S. for aid it has sent Kyiv since the start of the war. The White House had billed such a pact as a way to tighten U.S.-Ukrainian relations in the long term.Vance, in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that aired Monday evening, said European allies were doing Ukraine a disservice by not pressing Zelenskyy to find an endgame to the war.맥스카지노�A lot of our European friends puff him up,맥스카지노� Vance said. 맥스카지노�They say, you know, you맥스카지노�re a freedom fighter. You need to keep fighting forever. Well, fighting forever with what? With whose money, with whose ammunition and with whose lives?맥스카지노�Democrats said the pausing of aid to Ukraine was dangerous and ill-advised.Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, who is co-chair of the Congressional EU Caucus, said the decision 맥스카지노�is reckless, indefensible, and a direct threat to our national security.맥스카지노�The Biden administration provided Kyiv with more than $66.5 billion in military aid and weapons since the war began. It had left unspent about $3.85 billion in congressionally authorized funding to send more weapons to Ukraine from existing U.S. stockpiles 맥스카지노� a sum that had not been affected by the foreign aid freeze that Trump put in place when he first took office.맥스카지노�This aid was approved by Congress on a bipartisan basis 맥스카지노� Republicans and Democrats alike recognized that standing with Ukraine is standing for democracy and against Putin맥스카지노�s aggression,맥스카지노� Boyle said in a statement. 맥스카지노�Yet, Trump, who has repeatedly praised Putin and undermined our allies, is now playing political games with critical military assistance.맥스카지노�Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, who served as counsel to House Democrats in the first impeachment inquiry against Trump, said the pausing of aid was 맥스카지노�another extortion맥스카지노� of Zelenskyy.맥스카지노�This is the exact opposite of peace through strength,맥스카지노� Goldman said. 맥스카지노�Instead, what it is is it맥스카지노�s another extortion of President Zelenskyy, illegally withholding aid in order to get President Zelenskyy to agree to a minerals deal."Trump's national security adviser said Zelenskyy맥스카지노�s posture during Friday맥스카지노�s Oval Office talks 맥스카지노�put up in the air맥스카지노� whether he맥스카지노�s someone the U.S. administration will be able to deal with going forward.맥스카지노�Is he ready, personally, politically, to move his country towards an end to the fighting?맥스카지노� Mike Waltz said Monday on Fox News' 맥스카지노�America맥스카지노�s Newsroom.맥스카지노� "And can he and will he make the compromises necessary?맥스카지노�Waltz added another layer of doubt about U.S. support as other high-profile Trump allies, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Sen. Lindsey Graham, have suggested that the relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy is becoming untenable.Angela Stent, a former national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council, said Putin is likely in no rush to end the war amid the fissures between Trump and Zelenskyy and between Europe and the U.S. about the way ahead.맥스카지노�He thinks Russia is winning. ... And he thinks that as time goes on, the West will be more fractured," said Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.Trump on Monday suggested he hasn't given up on the economic pact, calling it 맥스카지노�a great deal.맥스카지노� He added that he expected to speak about the deal during his Tuesday address before a joint session of Congress.Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, spoke with Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, earlier Monday about getting the mineral rights deal back on track.Key GOP senators also indicated before the announcement of paused aid that they see a path to put U.S.-Ukraine relations back on track.맥스카지노�We got to lower the temperature,맥스카지노� said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., 맥스카지노�and get to a deal that맥스카지노�s economically beneficial and takes care of our interests as well as the interests of the Ukrainian people.맥스카지노�Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican who is a close ally of Trump, said he believes the president and Zelenskyy can 맥스카지노�move past it.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�Getting the minerals deal done is a first step,맥스카지노� Mullin said. After that, he said, Zelenskyy needs to be 맥스카지노�realistic on what a peace deal looks like.맥스카지노�___Associated Press writers Tracy Brown, Lolita C. Baldor and Marc Levy contributed to this report.