US President Donald Trump has privately informed his aides that he does not intend to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, even if Kyiv and Washington agree on a minerals deal, NBC News reported on March 8, citing two American officials.

The report comes as US and Ukrainian delegations prepare to meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11 to discuss a potential peace agreement framework between Ukraine and Russia.

According to NBC News, Trump wants Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to shift his stance on peace talks with Russia and consider concessions such as ceding occupied territories to Moscow. Trump is also said to be pushing for Ukraine to take steps toward holding elections and for Zelenskiy to potentially step down.

The developments follow weeks of heightened tension between Kyiv and Washington, as Trump has increased pressure on Zelenskiy to accelerate peace negotiations.

The strained relations escalated after a heated exchange during a White House meeting on February 28, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskiy. The Ukrainian president returned home without signing the minerals agreement, and Washington subsequently suspended military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Trump has previously described Zelenskiy as a "dictator", questioning the Ukrainian leader's legitimacy. Elections have been suspended in Ukraine since martial law was imposed after the war began in 2022.

Amid these tensions, Politico reported that members of Trump's team have been holding secret talks with former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and opposition leader Yuliia Tymoshenko. Both reportedly presented themselves as more flexible partners for Washington than Zelenskiy.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko, known for his nationalist views, recently published several social media posts calling for peace with Russia. Prominent journalist Leonid Ragozin commented on the shift, writing on X: "After three years of unashamed jingoism, prominent Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko published three (!) posts today calling for peace with Russia... At the same time, he calls on Ukraine to ditch messianism, stop 'saving' Europe, and concentrate on saving itself."