Trump’s Pause on Military Aid Will Hurt Ukraine’s Defence But May Not Be Fatal. Here’s Why- wna24
Washington: The United States has been Ukraine’s biggest military backer since Russia-Ukraine full scale war began three years ago. The suspension of that aid by the Trump administration doesn’t mean Ukraine’s defences will quickly collapse. But it’s a major blow that threatens to remove some of the most formidable weapons in Ukraine’s battlefield arsenal, and ratchets up pressure on Kyiv to accept a peace agreement.
The United States has given the Ukrainians more than $180 billion in assistance since Russia launched an all-out war on February 24, 2022, including more than $66.5 billion in military aid. Washington provides about 20% of Ukraine’s military supplies, and that fifth includes the most lethal and important equipment, including longer-range missiles and Patriot air defense systems that can shoot down the Russian fighter jets.
American Assistance Goes Beyond Weapons and Ammunition
Ukrainian troops rely on satellite communications systems supplied by Elon Musk’s Starlink to communicate on the front line, and on American intelligence to track Russian troop movements and select targets for Ukrainian strikes. If the U.S. stops sharing data from satellites and other assets, it would badly affect Ukraine’s capability to strike back at Russia, and Ukraine’s other allies lack the resources to fill the gap.
The White House said that the U.S. is “pausing and reviewing” its Ukraine aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”. The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia1. The decision comes days after an explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that Ukraine’s leader hasn’t expressed sufficient gratitude for American support.
The U.S. move won’t have an immediate impact on the battlefield, where Kyiv’s forces are struggling to stem a relentless Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have slowed Russian advances along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, where Russia is slowly gaining ground at a huge human and material cost1. The pause in aid will weaken air defenses and will hit Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian targets far behind the front lines.
While Ukraine’s European allies can fill some of the gaps and provide artillery systems, they don’t have alternatives to the U.S.-made air-defense systems and longer-range HIMARS missile systems that can strike ground targets up to 300 kilometers (200 miles) away. Ukraine is already running low on missiles for the American-supplied Patriot systems that are crucial to defending cities from Russian air attacks.
Despite the challenges posed by the U.S. aid suspension, Ukraine continues to innovate rapidly due to ongoing pressures. The White House announced that U.S. aid to Ukraine is being “paused and reviewed” to ensure it contributes to a resolution. This decision follows a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance expressed dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy’s perceived lack of gratitude for American support.