WASHINGTON (TNND) — On February 28, the world witnessed an Oval Office explosion that provoked a partnership implosion and an aggressive assertion from President Donald Trump.

" You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards," he said to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The cards Trump is referring to?

Years of reliance on the United States for $65 billion in military aid including rocket launchers, tanks and missiles to help them defend their homeland, plus ammunition and intelligence.

In an interview with The National News Desk, Brent Sadler, a retired Navy Captain and current senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation, said, "Trump is very explicitly saying what needs to be said as we go forward to hopefully end this war in Ukraine," adding the aid provided by the United States has given "a lot of leverage, and it’s probably a win or lose kind of element in the battlefield."

It’s aid that has been paused and reinstated as a negotiating tool to try to end the war in Ukraine, a likely factor in this March 11 announcement.

“Today we’ve made an offer that the Ukrainians have accepted which is to enter into a ceasefire," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters.

The plan is still reliant on Russia, with a phone call scheduled for Tuesday between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Supporters of Ukraine's sovereignty worry the Trump administration has already appeared deferential to Russia in the lead-up to the call.

In an interview with CNN Wednesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said, "When the Trump administration begins the negotiation by saying that Ukraine can't ever become part of NATO, or the United States will not provide any backup security guarantees, you give up leverage going in regardless of what the final outcome will be,

As with many things though, it seems President Trump will do things his way, insisting not just with Ukraine but on tariffs and the border, that he and the United States do indeed hold the cards, which has translated into leverage.

In an interview with The National News Desk, Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, said, "You know, I’ve not read his book, 'The Art of the Deal,' but I understand from talking to some of my colleagues, people who have read the book, that he makes those outlandish requirements, right, and then he can always roll it back in.”

Some of those outlandish demands have been with trade, including a symbiotic and deeply embedded trade relationship with Mexico, which has brought about increased participation on the border and fentanyl.

Already, Mexico has sent 1,650 National Guard Troops to help prevent migrants from coming to the U.S. Southern border. Its new President also recently handed over dozens of drug cartel members including one the United States had asked for, for 40 years.

Trump's aggressive approach is bringing action for sure, but whether its results are positive or negative remains to be seen.