US President Donald Trump has temporarily suspended the delivery of all American military aid to Ukraine. The move comes days after an unprecedented spat unfolded at the Oval Office between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to a report published in The New York Times, a senior administration official said that Trump temporarily suspended the delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine and that the order takes effect immediately, affecting "more than USD 1 billion in arms and ammunition in the pipeline and on order”.
Trump halts military aid to Ukraine
The official underscores that "the order would be in effect until” Trump determined that Ukraine had demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia.
According to the US State Department, the United States has, to date, provided USD 65.9 billion in military assistance since Russia launched an attack on Ukraine. The amount has gone up to USD 69.2 billion in military assistance if considered since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
The US has sent significant military equipment to Ukraine, including the following:
- Patriot air defence batteries
- High mobility artillery rocket systems
- Armoured personnel carriers
- Mi-17 helicopters
- Costal and riverine patrol boats
- Abrams and T-72 tanks
- Anti-tank, anti-armoured systems
How important is US' assistance to Ukraine
The gravity of the USA's assistance to Ukraine can be ascertained by the fact that the second and third-largest military supporters are Germany and the UK, who have sent £10bn and £8bn, respectively, which account for little over USD 10 billion and USD 8 billion.
However, when it comes to calculating the total military expenditure as percentage of each country's GDP which backed Ukraine, the contribution from the US amounts to 0.296 per cent of its GDP, according to a report by the Independent. If Denmark's contribution is measured against its GDP, it comes to around 2.038 per cent.
Implications of US halting military aid to Ukraine
Nonetheless, as the US halts military aid to Ukraine, the implications can be devastating. To put it into context, when Republican members of the USA's House of Representatives blocked a military aid package for Ukraine for roughly 8 months, Russia made advances as it enjoys a significant advantage in terms of artillery. It culminated into the fall of the city of Avdiivka, located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
The military aid provided to Ukraine by Washington is not only significant for its sheer volume, but it is also crucial because the US has acted as a "diplomatic umbrella for European countries" to send weapons of their own, the Independent reports.
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