White House responds to claims Donald Trump is set to revoke legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees
Topics: Donald Trump, Ukraine, US News, Politics, News
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Harnik
Topics: Donald Trump, Ukraine, US News, Politics, News
The White House has responded to claims that the Trump administration is revoking 240,000 Ukrainian people's temporary legal status in the US.
Earlier today (March 6), there were reports that Donald Trump intended to revoke Ukrainian refugees' status' in the US following his decision to halt all military aid to the warn-torn country.
The choice to pull Ukraine's military aid came in the wake of President Zelenskyy and President Trump's tense discussions at the end of February where they tried to agree on a way to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
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"The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well," a White House official said yesterday (March 3).
Addressing the military aid that the US has been providing Ukraine, the spokesperson went on: "We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution."
In what was thought to be another blow to Ukraine, it was reported that Trump was revoking the temporary legal status of any Ukrainians that fled to the US after the war broke out in February 2022.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has since denied that any final decisions on the matter have been made, however.
Sharing a screenshot of an article addressing the allegations, Leavitt tweeted: "This is more fake news from Reuters based on anonymous sources who have no idea what they are talking about.
"The truth: no decision has been made at this time."
Following Zelenskyy and Trump's chaotic meeting at the White House, the Ukrainian president was urged to make amends with Trump.
Sharing a conversation he had with Zelenskyy, Mark Rutte, NATO secretary general, said: "What I told to President Zelenskyy is that I said, I think you have to find a way, dear Volodymyr, to restore your relationship with Donald Trump and the American administration.
"That is important going forward."
Britain’s ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, echoed similar sentiments.
"After what happened on Friday, it’s clear that we need to bring the United States and Ukraine together again," he said, The Telegraph reported.
"I think the first thing that President Zelenskyy can do is to make clear his commitment to the initiative that President Trump is taking."
"I do think it would be a good idea if he signed an economic and commercial deal put forward by the United States," Mandelson added.