Zelensky ‘unsure’ Ukraine would survive without US aid
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has acknowledged that his country is unlikely to hold out against the Russian military if the US stops providing aid. The comments came after US President Donald Trump put most of Washington's foreign funding programs on hold.
The US has been Kiev’s main backer since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Last month, Trump claimed that Washington had spent $200 billion on shoring up Kiev. Zelensky retorted that only around $76 billion had actually been received.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Zelensky said “there’s no decrease in US aid as of today, and it hasn’t been put on hold, it continues.” He added that “we’re not talking about new [aid] packages.”
“As for what we could do without this assistance… I don’t even want to imagine what would happen,” the Ukrainian leader admitted.
“This would undoubtedly deal a blow to our capabilities to defend our land… I’m not sure we would hold out,” Zelensky concluded.
Shortly after being sworn in last month, Trump signed an executive order suspending all US foreign development assistance programs for 90 days, with some exceptions, pending reviews to determine whether they serve Washington's interests.
The restrictions have led to the effective suspension of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which funnels billions of dollars to causes deemed worthy by Washington.
Over the past weekend, USAID’s official website went offline and its X account disappeared, amid reports that the White House was considering merging it with the State Department.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine can’t exist without its Western sponsors.
“They won’t last a month if the money and ammunition run out,” he said, adding that “Ukraine practically has no sovereignty, in that sense.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that Western nations’ support for Kiev makes them “de facto a party to the conflict” – something both Washington and Brussels have denied.
