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Fact Check: In early March 2020, President Donald Trump froze all military aid to Ukraine before lifting the block shortly afterwards following ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia.

Fact Check: In early March 2020, President Donald Trump froze all military aid to Ukraine before lifting the block shortly afterwards following ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia.

Published June 14, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
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# Fact Check: "In early March 2020, President Donald Trump froze all military aid to Ukraine before lifting the block shortly afterwards following cea...

Fact Check: "In early March 2020, President Donald Trump froze all military aid to Ukraine before lifting the block shortly afterwards following ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia."

What We Know

In early March 2020, the Trump administration did indeed freeze military aid to Ukraine. This decision followed a significant diplomatic incident involving a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which raised concerns about the U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia. Reports indicate that the freeze was a response to the fallout from this incident, which occurred in late February 2020 (NPR, Politico).

Shortly after the freeze, U.S. officials engaged in high-level talks with Ukrainian representatives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire was discussed. Ukraine agreed to this ceasefire proposal, which led to the resumption of military aid and intelligence sharing from the U.S. (New York Times, CBS News). The U.S. government announced that it would lift the pause in military assistance immediately following Ukraine's endorsement of the ceasefire (Times of Israel, Le Monde).

Analysis

The claim that President Trump froze military aid to Ukraine is accurate, as multiple sources confirm that the aid was paused in early March 2020 due to the diplomatic tensions stemming from the Trump-Zelenskyy phone call. However, the assertion that the freeze was lifted "shortly afterwards" is somewhat misleading. While the aid was resumed after Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire proposal, the timeline of events indicates that the freeze was in place for a brief period, and the resumption was contingent on Ukraine's acceptance of the ceasefire (ABC News, CNN).

The sources used in this analysis are credible, including major news organizations like NPR, The New York Times, and Politico, which have established reputations for journalistic integrity. However, it is important to note that the framing of the events can vary slightly between sources, particularly regarding the motivations behind the aid freeze and the subsequent negotiations.

Conclusion

The claim is Partially True. While it accurately states that President Trump froze military aid to Ukraine and that the aid was resumed following ceasefire talks, it oversimplifies the context and timeline of these events. The freeze was a response to specific diplomatic tensions, and the lifting of the freeze was directly tied to Ukraine's agreement to the ceasefire proposal, which adds nuance to the claim.

Sources

  1. U.S. resumes Ukraine military aid. Kyiv OKs Trump ...
  2. Ukraine Supports 30-Day Cease-Fire as U.S. Says It Will ...
  3. US resumes military aid to Ukraine after Saudi ceasefire talks
  4. US ends military aid freeze after Ukraine endorses 30-day ...
  5. Ukraine willing to accept 30-day ceasefire with Russia as ...
  6. US 'just about' ready to lift Ukraine intel freeze, Trump says ...
  7. March 11, 2025: Donald Trump presidency news
  8. Ukraine backs 30-day ceasefire as US ends aid freeze

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Detailed fact-check analysis of: Paul Krugman Paul Krugman We’re All Rats Now Time to take a stand, again, against racism Paul Krugman Jun 30, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York’s Democratic primary has created panic in MAGAland. Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s deportation policies, waxed apocalyptic: Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, declared that New York is about to turn into “Caracas on the Hudson.” And Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama basically declared New York’s voters subhuman, saying: These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that’s one reason we’re $37 trillion in debt. And it’s time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. These reactions are vile, and they’re also dishonest. Whatever these men may claim, it’s all about bigotry. 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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? 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Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. 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