U.S. defense budget cuts Ukraine funding as Trump pushes for negotiated peace with Russia
By isabelle // 2025-06-12
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  • The Trump administration is slashing U.S. military aid to Ukraine, prioritizing domestic needs and pushing Kyiv to negotiate with Russia.
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed budget cuts, marking a sharp departure from Biden’s unrestricted funding for Ukraine.
  • Ukraine faces critical air defense shortages as Russia intensifies attacks, while the U.S. diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles to Middle East forces.
  • Critics warn aid cuts will embolden Russia, while supporters argue endless war wastes American resources and Ukrainian lives.
  • Trump’s shift reflects a broader strategy to focus on U.S. interests, particularly countering China, leaving Europe to fill the gap in Ukraine support.
The United States is dramatically reducing military aid to Ukraine as the Trump administration takes a hardline "America first" approach, redirecting funds toward domestic priorities while pushing Kyiv to negotiate an end to its losing war with Russia. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the budget cuts before Congress this week, signaling a departure from the Biden administration’s blank-check policy toward Ukraine. "It is a reduction in this budget," Hegseth told lawmakers during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on June 10. "This administration takes a very different view of that conflict." The Pentagon has not yet released full details of the 2026 defense budget, but Hegseth emphasized that the Trump administration prioritizes a diplomatic resolution over endless warfare. "We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe," he said. The move comes as Ukraine faces severe shortages in air defenses amid relentless Russian missile and drone attacks. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly begged Washington for more weapons, even during a recent visit to the Vatican. Yet instead of bolstering Ukraine’s arsenal, the Trump administration diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles originally earmarked for Kyiv to U.S. forces in the Middle East, according to Zelensky.

Ending the blank checks

Under Biden, the U.S. sent over $66 billion in military aid to Ukraine, often with little oversight or accountability. Vice President J.D. Vance blasted the previous administration’s reckless spending, accusing Biden of sending "$300 billion to Ukraine" without pushing for a diplomatic solution. Now, Trump is halting the gravy train. In March, his administration paused all military aid shipments to Ukraine, pressuring Zelensky to negotiate. The Ukrainian leader, who once won elections on promises of peace, now faces dwindling Western support as his forces lose ground to Russia. Critics warn that cutting aid will embolden Moscow. Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, claimed reductions would "lead to more casualties on the Ukrainian side, including among civilians." But supporters argue that prolonging a losing war only wastes American resources while putting Ukrainian lives at risk.

Peace talks stall as war rages

Despite Trump’s push for diplomacy, ceasefire talks have stalled. Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day truce in March, but Russia has refused to sign off. Meanwhile, Moscow continues its brutal offensive, advancing in eastern Ukraine and pounding cities with ballistic missiles. Ukrainian officials admit they are bracing for a "painful" reduction in U.S. support. Some lawmakers, like Oleksiy Goncharenko, claim the cuts contradict Trump’s goal of ending the war. But Hegseth countered that endless U.S. funding makes no strategic sense. "The alternative of endless war that is largely funded by the United States and fought by Ukrainians, for which the Russians have unlimited resources to continue to pour in, does not make sense strategically for the United States," he said. The Trump administration’s pivot reflects a broader shift toward prioritizing U.S. interests over foreign entanglements. Hegseth emphasized redirecting resources toward countering China, which he called the "pacing threat" in the Indo-Pacific. European allies, long reliant on American military leadership, are scrambling to fill the gap. But for Trump, the message is clear: Ukraine’s war is not America’s problem. The U.S. can no longer afford to bankroll a corrupt Ukrainian regime in a war it cannot win. By cutting military aid and pushing for negotiations, the Trump administration is finally putting America first while exposing the failures of Biden’s reckless interventionism. The time for truth, fiscal sanity, and a return to diplomacy has arrived. Sources for this article include: SHTFPlan.com Newsweek.com KyivIndependent.com KyivPost.com
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