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Topics: World News, Politics, Donald Trump, Ukraine, Military, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Emily Brown
Topics: World News, Politics, Donald Trump, Ukraine, Military, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
An expert from a defence thinktank has spoken out about how Ukraine will likely be impacted by Donald Trump's move to pause US aid.
The POTUS' decision to halt aid to the country comes after he and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy butted heads during a meeting at the White House on 28 February, when the two leaders were set to discuss a minerals deal.
The meeting saw Trump accuse Zelenskyy of 'gambling with World War 3', and ended with the Ukrainian president being asked to leave before the deal could be signed.
On March 3, the White House confirmed that Trump had ordered a pause on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine. One official cited by CNN said the pause is expected to stay in place until Trump believes Zelenskyy is committed to seeking peace talks.
In a statement, the official 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."
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In response to the news, Malcolm Chalmers, the deputy director-general of thinktank the Royal United Services Institute, expressed belief the resulting effects on Ukraine will be 'cumulative'.
However, Chalmers claimed that Ukraine will not collapse as a result of Trump's decision, Sky News reports.
The expert explained that Trump's decision is related to his view that Russia is willing to carry out a peace deal, but that Ukraine is standing in the way.
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He continued: "But there is no evidence that Russia would be prepared to accept a deal and what that would look like. Indeed, this decision will encourage Vladimir Putin to ask for more - including Ukrainian demilitarisation and neutrality."
One 'nightmare scenario' would be if the US and Russia reach a deal and tell Ukraine and Europe to 'take it or leave it', Chalmers said.
"The European offer of boots on the ground after a deal has helped reassure Ukraine," he added.
"But the debate has now moved on. And what will count most of all is how far the UK and Europe are prepared to help Ukraine in defiance of the US.
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"Recent estimates suggest that only 20 percent of total military hardware supplied to Ukrainian forces is now from the US. 55 percent is home-produced in Ukraine and 25 percent from Europe and the rest of the world, but the 20 percent is the most lethal and important."
Chalmers is just one of a number of experts speaking out in the wake of Trump's decision, with Ukraine's own Prime Minister stressing the importance of support from the US.
Calling to mind air defences and help on the frontline, among other factors, Denys Shmyhal said: "Those are very important elements that have saved thousands, probably dozens of thousands of lives of Ukrainian civilians and combatants...
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"The US remains our strategic, most important partner. We are grateful to the US and we will do our best to continue our cooperation at the same level. We will do this in a calm diplomatic manner."