US President Donald Trump is pausing all military aid for Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, last week.

    A White House official says Washington is reviewing whether billions of dollars given to Kyiv are contributing to a “solution” to end Ukraine’s war against invading Russian forces.

    The move comes hours after Trump accused Zelenskyy of not wanting peace “as long as he has America’s backing” and is likely to deal a serious blow to Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia’s invasion.

    Trump also says the sweeping 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada will go into effect on Tuesday and promises to add on another 10 percent tariff on goods from China, on top of the initial 10 percent he put in place last month.

    Why is Trump imposing tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico?

    During Trump’s presidential campaign, he promised to impose tariffs on the US’s biggest trading partners in retaliation over undocumented migrants and the flow of drugs, especially fentanyl.

    Trump also emphasised using tariffs as a means to bolster domestic manufacturing and encourage foreign businesses to establish factories within the US territory.

    “During 2018-2020, President Trump mainly used tariffs as a bargaining chip,” Vina Nadjibulla at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told Al Jazeera told Al Jazeera. “This time, the motivations seem broader, including a desire to bring more manufacturing back to the US, shift the tax burden away from income taxes and onto tariffs, and use tariffs both as leverage and as punishment. We’re looking at a much larger scale than we saw under Trump’s first term.”

    Stock markets fall, price hikes may be felt within days, due to Trump tariffs

    We have been reporting on President Trump’s announcement that 25 percent tariffs on goods imported into the US from Canada and Mexico will come into effect on Tuesday.

    Monday’s announcement sent US stock markets falling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.48 percent, while the S&P 500 lost 1.76 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.64 percent.

    Stock price drops were also seen among major US firms, including General Motors – which has significant truck production in Mexico – which fell 4 percent. Carmaker Ford also fell 1.7 percent.

    US consumers could experience price hikes within days, according to Gustavo Flores-Macias, a public policy professor at Cornell University.

    “The automobile sector, in particular, is likely to see considerable negative consequences, not only because of the disruption of the supply chains that crisscross the three countries in the manufacturing process, but also because of the expected increase in the price of vehicles, which can dampen demand,” he told the Reuters news agency.

    Ukraine may only hold out for just 2-4 months without US aid, expert says

    Without US military aid, Ukrainian forces may only be able to hold out for two to four months before Russia breaks through its lines, a military expert has told Al Jazeera.

    “Pausing US aid deliveries cuts about half of Ukraine’s acquisition of weapons, munitions, and supplies. As it was, Ukraine was barely hanging on with the Russians hammering their front lines and making continuous though expensive gains,” said Mark Cancian, a former US Marine Corps colonel who is a senior adviser with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

    “Without the US military aid, Ukrainian forces will gradually lose combat capability. My guess is that the Ukrainians can hold out for two to four months before their lines buckle and the Russians break through.”