'People should not be guessing' — Zelensky calls for clear dialogue with US on military aid amid freeze

President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed Ukraine’s defense minister, intelligence chiefs, and diplomats on March 4 to reach out to the U.S. to clarify the future of American military assistance.

"People should not be guessing. Ukraine and America deserve a respectful dialogue and a clear position of each other," Zelensky said in his evening address.

His call comes after reports that U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an immediate halt to more than $1 billion in U.S. military aid to Ukraine on March 4.

Zelensky mentioned that military aid was briefly paused in late January before being restored, referencing a Reuters report from February that tied the pause to policy debates within the White House.

"This is not 2022; now our resilience is higher, and we have means of defense, but normal partnership relations with America are important for us to really end the war," he said.

Zelensky also warned that Moscow had not changed its stance, asserting that Russia would demand a reduction of Ukraine’s army, a renunciation of territories, and a significant weakening of Ukraine’s political structure.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on March 4 that the suspension of aid is a "temporary pause" and linked it to the fallout from Zelensky's Oval Office exchange with Trump.

The meeting on Feb. 28 ended without signing a planned U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement.

U.S. officials have increased pressure on Zelensky, with some calling for an apology for the White House dispute.

Zelensky earlier called the fallout "regrettable" and reaffirmed Ukraine's readiness to sign the mineral and security agreement "at any time and in any convenient format."