US Aid Pause: Important but Not Catastrophic for Ukraine

Experts believe that in the event of a complete cessation of US military assistance to Ukraine, the army will not be left without communication, but there will be no one to monitor Russia around the clock, Ukrinform reports. 

According to Serhiy Rakhmanin, a member of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence in Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, US assistance, although important, is somewhat overestimated. 

‘It will be critical, but not catastrophic - provided that part of the lack of this assistance is compensated by Ukraine with its own internal reserves, and part by Europe,’ he said.

But there are ‘hard-to-replace’ items, such as Patriot air defence systems and missiles, intelligence and satellite communications.

Citing a senior Trump administration official, Voice of America reports that the talks are about a temporary pause in aid. 

‘It's not a permanent cutoff, it's a pause,’ a US official familiar with the situation told the outlet.

‘The president has made it clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are suspending and reviewing our assistance to make sure it contributes to a solution,’ the administration told VOA.

According to Bloomberg, the decision to suspend aid may apply not only to $3.85 billion worth of equipment that was provided under the previous Joe Biden administration, but also to US equipment that the US has already provided or continues to provide to Ukraine.

If the United States terminates existing contracts with arms manufacturers, this may involve the government paying compensation to those companies that have started to fulfil orders under contracts for Ukraine.

As The Gaze reported, US President Donald Trump has ordered the suspension of all US military aid to Ukraine to force Kyiv to ‘seek peace’.