After US President Donald Trump halted military supplies to Kyiv in the most dramatic move yet in his shift towards closer ties with Russia, Ukraine has stated that its soldiers could compete on the battlefield against Russian troops, reports RTE.
In an intense encounter at the White House on Friday, Mr. Trump chastised President Volodymyr Zelensky for not being more appreciative of Washington’s support, further upending US policy on Russia and Ukraine.
“President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” a US official said yesterday, reports RTE.
Denys Shmyhal, the prime minister of Ukraine, said that Kyiv still had the resources to provide its forces. “Our military and the government have the capabilities, the tools, let’s say, to maintain the situation on the front line,” he stated.
Mr. Shmyhal expressed gratitude to the US and highlighted Kyiv’s desire for cooperative efforts that would benefit both parties.
“We will continue to work with the US through all available channels in a calm manner,” he told a press conference. “We only have one plan – to win and to survive. Either we win, or the Plan B will be written by someone else, reports RTE.
Regarding the aid freeze, President Zelensky personally said nothing. His sole public declaration by Tuesday mid-afternoon in Kyiv was that he had discussed Berlin’s financial and military support with Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting.
While it was still awaiting confirmation of Mr. Trump’s action, the Kremlin stated that stopping military supplies to Ukraine was the greatest path towards peace, reports RTE.
Throughout three years of conflict that has destroyed Ukrainian towns and killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides, Ukraine has depended on military assistance from the United States and Europe to fend off a larger and more powerful adversary.
The effects of missing US supplies may not be seen right away, according to military analysts, reports RTE.
Although Ukrainian soldiers eventually complained of running out of ammunition at the front, the most obvious early consequence of Republicans in Congress delaying U.S. support for many months last year was a lack of air defences to take down Russian missiles and drones.
“It’s pretty significant, but not nearly as impactful as it would have been earlier in the war because Ukraine is far less dependent on direct US military assistance now,” said Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment, reports RTE.
The hiatus increases pressure on European allies, particularly Britain and France, whose presidents both visited the White House last week, who have openly supported Mr. Zelensky since the Oval Office scandal.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has presented plans to increase defence expenditure in the EU, which she claims could raise up to €800 billion. Europeans are vying to increase their own military spending, reports RTE.
On Thursday, the EU will host an emergency meeting.
France denounced the suspension of help. Peace became “more distant, because it only strengthens the hand of the aggressor…which is Russia,” according to Benjamin Haddad, the junior minister of Europe for France, reports RTE.
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