Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on February 28 in the context of stagnant military aid from the US.
However, instead of receiving a new commitment, Mr. Zelensky left without reaching any agreement, raising concerns that the US could completely stop supporting Ukraine.
It has now been 50 days since the Pentagon announced its latest military aid package to Ukraine. According to a Trump administration official, not only were arms shipments from former President Joe Biden delayed, but also those that had been paid for were at risk of being canceled in the near future.
Under Mr. Biden, weapons are delivered to Ukraine every two weeks, even just a few days apart in times of tension. But now, that speed has dropped to near zero, according to the New York Times.
The Pentagon confirmed that there is still about $3.85 billion in military aid in reserves, but there is no sign that the Trump administration will continue to license the use of the money to Ukraine.
According to a former defense official under the Biden administration, the shipments of Ukrainian weapons ordered from US defense companies will only be delivered within the next 6 months. After that, Ukraine can completely depend on European countries.
Notably, before the meeting with Trump, President Zelensky hoped to sign an agreement with the US in exchange for Ukraine's right to exploit mineral resources to ensure continued military aid. However, the meeting ended without any signings, making the situation somewhat uncertain.
Since the election, Trump has repeatedly declared that the US is "too generous" with Ukraine and demanded that Kiev must make certain allowances if it is to continue receiving aid. According to some sources, Mr. Trump wants Ukraine to give the right to exploit important minerals such as lithium, titanium and rare earths to US companies.
The US has previously provided Ukraine with a total of $67 billion in military aid, including more than 3 million 155mm artillery shells, tens of thousands of anti-tank missiles, thousands of armored vehicles and many air defense systems. But if the Trump administration decides to "turn off the valve" of aid, Ukraine will lose its most important weapons supply.
Europe has contributed 138 billion USD in aid to Ukraine, higher than the US figure of 119 billion USD, according to data from the Kiel Institute (Germany). However, with the US withdrawal, can European countries completely replace Washington's role?
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group - a gathering of about 50 countries established in 2022 to coordinate military aid - is now being taken over by the UK after the Pentagon handed over leadership in February 2025. The UK defence ministry has said it will continue to support Ukraine until needed, but the possibility of maintaining a large source of aid like the US is unclear.
The US aid stop will put Ukraine in an extremely dangerous situation in the conflict with Russia. After a recent meeting of the Defense Communications Group of Ukraine at Ramstein air base (Germany), President Zelensky warned: "Abandoning Ukraine at this time is no different from suicide for the security of Europe and the world."
