Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, believes that a spat between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at the White House last week occurred because the two leaders have "objectives that were clearly not in alignment with one another" regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Withholding aid is another sign that the relationship between the Trump administration and Ukrainian leadership has deteriorated.

President Donald Trump slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for suggesting that the end of Russia's war against Ukraine likely "is still very, very far away."

Before the recent restrictions imposed by the U.S., a rising tempo of Ukrainian strikes inside Russia – such as those targeting stores of ammunition — relieved pressure on Ukrainian troops on the front lines. It is one of the reasons Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine have slowed in recent weeks, analysts say.