Trump's halt on Ukraine aid: Repercussions and reactions

Donald Trump stopped military aid to Ukraine. Weapons, even those already in Poland and waiting to be delivered to the front, have been halted for now. The decision was likely made due to a Friday altercation between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office. The Ukrainian president was asked to leave the White House. No agreement on resources was signed. The United States is likely pressuring Kyiv in this way to relent and reach an agreement with Washington.

Trump's decision met with an immediate reaction from Ukrainian parliamentarians. "We'll see very soon the serious consequences - dangerous consequence," said Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Ukrainian parliament, to BBC Breakfast. Merezhko stated that the halt in aid could affect the situation on the front "within the next few days."

When we urgently need American weapons and support, this looks like siding with Russia. I appeal to Mr. Trump not to play with these dangerous issues, as we are talking about human lives," commented Oleksandr Merezhko in a conversation with the BBC.

The BBC emphasises that near Ukraine's western border with Poland, police-escorted convoys carrying military aid regularly move towards the front line. The British broadcaster states outright that "it is a lifeline delivery of equipment and ammunition for exhausted soldiers."

Ukrainian MP Volodymyr Aryev called Trump's decision "a very painful blow." MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said that it is "a disaster" that was anticipated, but added, "not all is lost yet." Ukrainian blogger and activist Yuriy Kasyanov said: "Roosevelt and Churchill are turning in their graves. America has sided with the global evil."