KYIV: Ukraine summoned a senior US diplomat on Wednesday, urging its key ally not to cut or delay critical military aid after the White House said it was halting some weapons shipments.
Kyiv said it had not been told anything by the United States about the halt to aid, which could thwart its ability to fend off escalating Russian air attacks.
Moscow revelled in the decision, saying it could bring the end of the war closer.
Kyiv has long feared halts to US aid after Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, having criticised the tens of billions of dollars in support and weapons sent by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The US embassy’s deputy chief of mission, John Ginkel, was summoned on Wednesday -- a rare diplomatic move usually reserved for foes and rivals, not vital allies -- amid uncertainty about what the cuts would mean for Kyiv.
“The Ukrainian side stressed that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue the war,“ Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The White House announced Tuesday it was halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine promised by the previous US administration, but did not provide details on what would be cut.
Under Biden, Washington had spearheaded Western support for Ukraine, with Congress having approved more than $100 billion in aid, including $43 billion in weaponry.
Trump, who has held several phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pushed the two sides into peace talks, has refused to announce new packages and Kyiv has been corralling Washington’s European allies to step up support for when US deliveries end.
Putin has rejected calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and demanded Ukraine cede more territory if it wants Moscow to halt its invasion.
Tens of thousands have been killed since February 2022 when Russia invaded, with millions forced to flee their homes and swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed.
‘Seriously dependent’
A senior Ukrainian military official raised concerns about the impact of the weapons halt to AFP.
“We are now seriously dependent on American arms supplies, although Europe is doing its best, but it will be difficult for us without American ammunition,“ a high-ranking source in the Ukrainian military said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In Moscow, the Kremlin said reducing the flow of weapons to Kyiv will help end the conflict faster.
“The fewer the number of weapons that are delivered to Ukraine, the closer the end of the special military operation,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to a question by AFP, using Russia’s term for its more than three-year offensive.
The US decision was taken “following a DOD (Department of Defense) review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,“ White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told AFP in an email.
Kyiv said it was caught off-guard by the move.
“Ukraine has not received any official notifications about the suspension or revision of the delivery schedules for the agreed defence assistance,“ the defence ministry said.
“The path to ending the war lies through consistent and joint pressure on the aggressor, as well as through continued support for Ukraine,“ it added.
“We are clarifying the situation. I think that everything will be clarified in the coming days,“ presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters.
Politico and other US media reported that missiles for Patriot air defence systems, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles are among the items being held back.
Last week at a NATO summit in the Netherlands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump, who gave no public indication he was thinking of cutting aid.
“We’re going to see if we can make some available,“ Trump said of the air defence missiles that Kyiv desperately seeks to shoot down Russian attacks.
“They’re very hard to get,“ Trump added.
Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine in June, launching nearly twice as many missiles and over 30 percent more drones than in May, according to an AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data.
