The administration of President Donald Trump is changing its approach to the war in Ukraine, and now Washington is effectively ending direct military assistance to Kyiv. This is reported by UNN with reference to the publication The Telegraph.
Details
During hearings in Congress on the US defense budget project for 2026, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth stated that the Trump team has a "fundamentally different vision" of the conflict than the previous government.
It is noted that this statement indicates a clear change in priorities: the Russian war against Ukraine is now considered a problem for Europe.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the United States has already provided Ukraine with almost $74 billion in aid, including critical Patriot air defense systems, long-range artillery, tanks, armored vehicles and millions of shells. Some purchases are still ongoing, but in general, Kyiv has been left without the support of its main strategic ally, the material says.
Now Ukraine has three options: rely on Europe's efforts, buy weapons from the US with European funds, or step up its own production by attracting Western funding.
Fortunately for Ukraine, European leaders have repeatedly promised to take on the commitment and do what Ukraine needs to fight for. Less happy, but in practice, Europe seems to promise better than take real steps
In March, Kaya Kallas proposed allocating EUR 40 billion for weapons for Ukraine, but this initiative was rejected by a number of countries, including Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain and Italy. Subsequently, the EU directed the first billion euros from frozen Russian assets to support the Ukrainian defense industry.
According to the publication, Ukraine is effectively using the funds received. Own arms production now meets 50% of Ukraine's military needs
According to The Telegraph, the Bohdana self-propelled guns are produced in a quantity of 20 units per month and are ahead of the French Caesars. For 2025, the country plans to produce five million FPV drones, 30,000 kamikaze drones and 3,000 cruise missiles.
Some Ukrainian equipment is actually better than weapons from foreign supplies, as it is more precisely adapted to the needs of the front. In particular, the Ukrainian Limma electronic warfare system surpasses Russian and Western technologies in jamming Russian bombs, the article says.
However, despite technological and tactical superiority, the Armed Forces are facing a shortage of shells, fuel, spare parts and a shortage of people in the army.
The worst irony is that Europe, which declares its support for Ukraine, at the same time spends more than €20 billion a year on the purchase of Russian energy — financing, in fact, Putin's military machine more than Ukraine's defense.
Let us remind you
In case of a real reduction in US military aid, Ukraine will feel it. This is a wave of risks for all countries, and especially for Europe. This was stated in an interview with Bild by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.