World Briefing: March 4, 2025

President Trump on Monday temporarily suspended the delivery of all U.S. military aid to Ukraine, senior administration and military officials said. The order affects more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition in the pipeline and on order. It resulted from a series of meetings at the White House on Monday between The officials said the directive would be in effect until Mr. Trump determined that Ukraine had demonstrated a good-faith commitment to peace negotiations with Russia. Mr. Trump’s directive, which was reported earlier by Bloomberg News, also halts deliveries of equipment from Pentagon stockpiles as aid through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides funds that Kyiv can use only to buy new military hardware directly from U.S. defense companies. It was unclear what exactly Mr. Zelensky would need to do for Mr. Trump to resume the military assistance. Also unclear was whether Mr. Trump also directed officials to curtail intelligence sharing, although one senior official said it was still flowing — for now. But if the halt in deliveries went longer, Ukraine would lose its supply of some advanced weapons, including advanced air-defense systems, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and long-range rocket artillery. The United States also provides Ukraine with parts, maintenance and technical support. Mr. Zelensky has said that cutting off military assistance would be a devastating blow but would not end the fighting - NYT

Ukraine Rada Foreign Affairs Committee chair Oleksandr Merezhko warns that Trump’s aid cutoff is aimed at forcing a capitulation of Ukraine to Russia.

Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmigal this afternoon refused to say if President Zelensky will apologize to Donald Trump if that’s what it takes to bring US back on board. At a press conference, he thanked the US for money, sanctions, armaments & political support. Regarding suspension of U.S. aid, he said “we are cool about it.” Shmigal said that economic stimulus measures would be introduced or stepped up - however it was not made clear how small to medium-sized businesses would get around severe manpower shortages to expand

Meanwhile, the Kremlin approves of the US pausing military aid to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC: “If it’s true, it’s a decision which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process.”

The European Commission proposed on Tuesday new joint EU borrowing of 150 billion euros to lend to EU governments for defence as part of an overall 800 billion total financing effort to boost Europe’s defence capabilities. The 150 billion euros of new joint borrowing is to go towards building pan-European capability domains like air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems or to address other needs from cyber to military mobility, the Commission said. “It will help Member States to pool demand and to buy together. This will reduce costs, reduce fragmentation increase interoperability and strengthen our defence industrial base,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. EU leaders will discuss the proposal at a special summit devoted to defence spending on Thursday - France 24

President Donald Trump’s long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect Tuesday, putting global markets on edge and setting up costly retaliations by the United States’ North American allies. Starting just past midnight, imports from Canada and Mexico are now to be taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products subject to 10% import duties. The 10% tariff that Trump placed on Chinese imports in February was doubled to 20%, and Beijing retaliated Tuesday with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of U.S. farm exports. It also expanded the number of U.S. companies subject to export controls and other restrictions by about two dozen. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would slap tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods over the course of 21 days. Mexico didn’t immediately detail any retaliatory measures. The U.S. president’s moves raised fears of higher inflation and the prospect of a devastating trade war even as he promised the American public that taxes on imports are the easiest path to national prosperity. He has shown a willingness to buck the warnings of mainstream economists and put his own public approval on the line, believing that tariffs can fix what ails the country. “It’s a very powerful weapon that politicians haven’t used because they were either dishonest, stupid or paid off in some other form,” Trump said Monday at the White House. “And now we’re using them.” The Canada and Mexico tariffs were supposed to begin in February, but Trump agreed to a 30-day suspension to negotiate further with the two largest U.S. trading partners. The stated reason for the tariffs is to address drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and both countries say they’ve made progress on those issues. But Trump has also said the tariffs will only come down if the U.S. trade imbalance closes, a process unlikely to be settled on a political timeline - AP

A CNN poll taken before the contentious Trump-Zelensky meeting shows that most Americans are unhappy with how President Donald Trump is doing his job. Overall, 52% disapprove of his performance while 48% approve. It contradicts polls cited by the White House press secretary and many other administration officials. Later today, Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday for the first time in his second presidential term. It will be an opportunity for Trump to reassure voters about his leadership just days after a catastrophic White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - CNN

The Vatican Press Office said Monday Pope Francis had suffered “two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm.” Both times, bronchoscopies were performed to remove the mucus buildup that caused the episodes. “[On Monday] afternoon, non-invasive mechanical ventilation was resumed. The Holy Father remained alert, oriented and cooperative at all times,” noted the Holy See Press Office. The Pope’s blood tests showed that he does not have an elevated white blood cell count, suggesting he has no new respiratory infection. His clinical condition remains complex, and further respiratory crises remain possible - Vatican News

Afghanistan is descending toward famine, aid workers operating on the ground tell RFE/RL. Millions of Afghans are already severely food-insecure, and there is fear a permanent halt in U.S. aid could trigger mass starvation. That is according to two humanitarian workers who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The Taliban’s seizure of power in 2021 significantly worsened the already dire humanitarian crisis. The impoverished country lost vital Western aid, and the economy collapsed. But famine was averted due to significant funding from Western donors. That assistance, however, has dropped sharply in recent years. Around one-third of Afghanistan’s 40-million population is currently going hungry. Fears of a famine have resurfaced since a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump in January to temporarily freeze all foreign assistance, including to Afghanistan. - RFE/RL

A spring storm bringing severe weather will impact the U.S. through the middle of the week, with parts of the country experiencing thunderstorms and “critical fire” risk conditions. The “multi-hazard storm” is expected to move across the Central Plains and through the Midwest toward the Great Lakes region starting Monday evening, the National Weather Service (NWS) says. “Thunderstorms should increase late this evening and merge into a squall line overnight across parts of the southern and central Plains. Several tornadoes, scattered to numerous severe wind gusts, and large hail are all possible,” according to the NWS Storm Prediction Center. - NPR

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