US military aid to Ukraine was briefly paused in recent days before resuming over the weekend, as the Trump administration deliberated its policy toward Kyiv, Reuters reported on Feb. 3, citing four sources familiar with the matter.

According to two of the sources, shipments restarted after the White House reversed an initial assessment to halt all military aid to Ukraine.

“The revelation of the brief pause is the first outward sign of the intensity of the debate within the Trump administration,” Reuters wrote.

One US official told the outlet that divisions within the administration remain over how much support Washington should continue providing to Kyiv.

Before leaving office, President Joe Biden had authorized over $1 billion in weapons transfers from US stockpiles to Ukraine each month, with additional contracts in place for future deliveries. Since Trump took office, no new aid packages have been announced, though shipments approved by Biden were expected to continue flowing for months due to existing commitments.

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The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. It remains unclear whether the administration will publicly acknowledge the temporary pause and subsequent resumption of arms shipments.

So far, the Trump administration has not provided a clear stance on whether it intends to maintain substantial military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, as outlined by Reuters.

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Trump Says ‘Great’ Calls with Putin, Zelensky; Russia Lauds Developments

Trump and spokesmen from the Kremlin said the calls were ‘normal’ diplomacy and there is a ‘good possibility’ of a peace deal imminently.

Speaking from the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump suggested linking military aid to Ukraine with access to the country’s rare earth metals.

“We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars,” he said. “They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.”

While he did not specify which elements he was referring to, Ukraine is a significant source of key mined materials, including titanium, nickel, beryllium, manganese, gallium, uranium, zirconium, and lithium—a critical component in batteries for smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles.

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Following the full-scale Russian invasion in early 2022, Moscow’s forces seized a lithium deposit in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, as well as key areas in Donetsk believed to contain lithium reserves. The town of Shevchenko was among Russia’s strategic targets due to its lithium production potential.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously underscored the importance of Ukraine’s natural resources, stating last October that “critical metals worth trillions of US dollars” must be safeguarded.

He called on Kyiv’s partners to establish a “special agreement on joint protection of critical resources available in Ukraine and joint investment and use of the corresponding economic potential,” AFP reported.

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