Dhaka 05 March 2025:
The U.S. is suspending military aid to Ukraine, as President Donald Trump puts pressure on Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach a deal to end the fighting.
New supplies were frozen in the early hours of Tuesday morning, at around 3.30am Ukraine time. Weapons still in transit and those being stored in Poland are also on hold.
In a statement the White House said “The President 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.”
The Kremlin has hailed the move as “a decision that could genuinely push the Kyiv regime towards a peace process.”, reported Louise Greenwood in CGTN on Tuesday
What next for Ukraine?
The U.S. State Department claims $65.9bn has been offered in military assistance to Ukraine from Washington since the conflict began, just under half of all military aid sent to the country.
Analysts say the loss of specialized U.S. air defense systems, surface-to-air and long range HIMAR and Javelin anti-tank missiles, crucial to repelling Russian attacks, leaves Ukraine’s military particularly vulnerable.
In addition, the suspension of supplies comes at the start of Spring when Russia has previously taken advantage of warmer conditions to launch offensives further into Ukrainian territory.
Current estimates are that Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine, about 113,000 square kilometers.
Ukrainians fear that the absence of U.S. military hardware will allow Moscow to make further gains on the ground before alternative support can be found.
Consequently President Zelenskyy could be forced into a peace deal that involves abandoning claims to land that Ukraine sees as its own.
Can Europe make up the defense shortfall?
European leaders have been swift to condemn President Trump’s decision to stop military support and have committed to European rearmament.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said “a quantum leap to strengthen our EU defense” was needed. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Europe must “take full responsibility for our own security.”
Ahead of an EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen proposed an $840B “Rearm Europe Plan”.
This would see a suspension of strict budget rules to allow states to spend more on defense without breaching EU directives on spending limits.
In addition she proposed a package of $158 bn in loans for defense procurement allowing governments to “massively step up their support to Ukraine.”
European defense stocks have extended their recent rally following the news, with France’s Thales surging 10 per cent.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said while Europe would attempt to “compensate” for the shortfall, “the main volume (of arms) has still been coming from the US, through US channels.”
What does withdrawal of support mean for the U.S.?
In addition to freeing up budgetary support for Ukraine, Trump has said “Zelenskyy will have no choice but to concede” on a peace deal with Washington.
He made the comments on his Truth Social site after reposting a commentary claiming a mineral deal with the U.S. would ensure Ukraine’s security.
If it goes ahead, such a deal could mean thousands of U.S. contractors and firms operating in Ukraine.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said “the very best security guarantee (for Ukraine) is to give Americans economic upside in (it’s) future”.
That’s not a sentiment that many frontline politicians in Europe share.
