US military aid to Ukraine at risk after disappointing Trump-Zelenskyy talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with US counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on February 28 ended in disappointment, as the two leaders failed to reach an agreement on military aid to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy arrived knowing that US shipments of weapons to Ukraine had largely stopped, with the Pentagon last announcing a new weapons package 50 days earlier, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

By the time he left, the situation appeared even more precarious, as the Trump administration indicated that all US aid to Ukraine, including final shipments of ammunition and equipment, could soon be canceled.

A Trump administration official noted that the final shipments of arms, authorized and paid for under the Biden administration, may be halted imminently. Despite over $33 billion in US military aid already sent to Ukraine, including artillery shells, anti-tank missiles, and armored vehicles, no new packages have been announced since January. The remaining aid, valued at $3.85 billion, could be the last from the US under the Biden-era provisions, with future arms supplies now uncertain.

During the meeting, Trump had been expected to sign an agreement giving the US access to Ukraine's mineral resources, alongside vague security guarantees. However, Zelensky left without a deal as Russia and North Korea continue their attacks along Ukraine’s front lines. Despite this, Ukraine’s continued reliance on US aid, which began shortly after Russia’s invasion in 2022, remains critical.

As Zelenskyy met with Trump, his administration had been lobbying for continued US support, aware of the shifting dynamics after the US election. A Trump official later suggested that even indirect support, including intelligence sharing and military training, could be withdrawn.

“The last of the arms Ukraine had purchased from US defence companies would be shipped within the next six months,” stated a former senior defence official. After that, European nations and others in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group will become the primary sources of aid.

By Vafa Guliyeva