Brussels has avoided criticising Washington for the suspension of military aid, which could have serious repercusions for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
The European Commission has insisted that the United States remains “an ally” despite Donald Trump’s growing embrace of Russia’s talking points and his recent decision to temporarily suspend military assistance for Ukraine, which the Kremlin welcomed.
The halting of aid comes after Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, engaged in an extraordinary clash with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, publicly berating the Ukrainian leader. The scene stunned Europeans, who moved in quasi-unison to voice their backing for the country at war and its democratically elected president.
“Regarding the United States, yes, the United States are an ally,” Stefan de Keersmaecker, the Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, said on Tuesday.
The White House says the pause and review of the assistance, which is said to affect more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition, is meant to demonstrate whether Zelenskyy is “committed” to reaching peace through negotiations with Russia.
Zelenskyy has voiced his willingness to engage in talks while stressing the need for security guarantees to keep Vladimir Putin’s expansionism in check. Trump has refused to provide these guarantees, offering instead a deal to exploit Ukraine’s minerals.
Faced with repeated questions about the suspension, which risks having serious, possibly irreparable consequences for Kyiv in its fight against the invading Russian forces, the Commission carefully avoided criticism.
“I don’t think it’s up to us to comment on decisions or announcements that are made on the other side of the Atlantic,” de Keersmaecker said. The Commission has previously commented on Trump’s decision to impose tariffs, sanction the International Criminal Court and withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
“We know that it’s important to support Ukraine also in its defence, also to make sure that it’s in a better negotiating place.”
Since the start of the invasion, Kyiv has relied on America to secure state-of-the-art weaponry, such as Patriot air defence systems and Javelin anti-tank missiles, and intelligence to bridge the gap with Russia’s military superiority and war economy.
According to the latest figures from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the US has so far provided €64 billion in military aid and Europe, as a whole, €62 billion.
Asked whether the EU could replace American assistance should the suspension become permanent, the spokesperson pointed to Ursula von der Leyen’s new plan to mobilise up to €800 billion in defence investment to rearm the bloc.
The plan is primarily directed at EU countries and the domestic industry, however, with Ukraine benefiting through spill-over effects if defence production ramps up fast enough.
“It will help member states to pool demand and to buy together. Of course, with this equipment, member states can massively step up their support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine,” von der Leyen said.
The halting of US aid is set to compound Europe’s anxiety about Washington’s pivot towards Moscow, which has played out in public since Trump held a 90-minute call with Putin last month. Trump has adopted an increasing number of Russian talking points, including calling Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and blurring the line between aggressor and aggressed. The US openly broke ranks with its democratic allies when it sided with Russia and North Korea in a failed vote at the United Nations.
Highlighting the rapid realignment, the Kremlin welcomed Trump’s decision.
“If this is true, then this is a decision that can really encourage the Kyiv regime to (come to) the peace process,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Reuters.
“It is obvious that the United States has been the main supplier of this war so far. If the United States stops being (an arms supplier) or suspends these supplies, it will probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace.”
Meanwhile, Petr Fiala, the Czech prime minister, said Trump’s move called for a “fundamental shift” to strengthen Europe’s security and intensify support for Ukraine.
“We cannot allow Russia’s aggressive policy, which threatens us all, to succeed,” Fiala wrote on social media. “The era of relying on others to address fundamental international challenges on our behalf is over.”
Fiala and his fellow EU leaders will meet on Thursday for an emergency summit dedicated to Ukraine and defence. Initially, the summit was expected to result in the endorsement of a multi-billion fund to channel fresh military assistance to Ukraine.
However, a veto threat from Viktor Orbán has thwarted the intention: the latest version of the summit’s conclusions has removed any reference to the proposed fund.
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