7 Mar, 04:20

US encouraged by signals from Kiev, but aid still ‘on pause’ — defense secretary

Peter Hegseth said his country was "interested in creating the conditions for peace."

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth AP Photo/ Rod Lamkey, Jr.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

© AP Photo/ Rod Lamkey, Jr.

WASHINGTON, March 7. /TASS/. The US administration has been watching the Kiev government closely and is encouraged by the latest signals, but US military aid remains "on pause," US Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth said.

When asked about the possibility of resuming US military aid and exchange of intelligence data with Ukraine, Hegseth said they were paused "pending a true commitment to a path to peace."

"The president is paying a very keen eye to precisely what the Ukrainians are saying and doing about committing to that peace process, and we're very encouraged by the signs we're seeing. Ultimately, he will make the determination, but it is a pause for now," he said.

Hegseth said his country was "interested in creating the conditions for peace." According to his estimates, and "we're closer today than we've ever been" to ending the conflict.

Recently, the US-Ukraine relations have been experiencing a chill. On February 28, Vladimir Zelensky visited the White House for a meeting with Trump. When answering questions from the media ahead of negotiations, Trump and Zelensky engaged in a heated exchange, during which Trump pointed out Zelensky’s disrespectful attitude toward the United States, while US Vice President JD Vance stressed Zelensky’s ingratitude to Washington for the support provided to Kiev. The press conference following their meeting was canceled, and the signing of the US-Ukraine mineral deal did not take place. Trump later posted a statement on Truth Social saying that Zelensky was disrespectful and not ready for the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

Eventually, Washington suspended military aid to Kiev.

During his March 4 address to the Congress, Trump said he had received a letter from Zelensky indicating that he was ready to negotiate peace and sign the minerals deal with Washington.

Ukraine stated on March 5 that Zelensky had not sent any letters to Trump. Zelensky’s spokesman Sergey Nikiforov said that Trump must have referred to a social media post when he was talking about a letter.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine United States Donald Trump

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