“Europe cannot replace American aid”: Military experts warn of six-month window

Recent statements by US President Donald Trump calling Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" have raised concerns among Ukrainians that US military aid may soon be cut off. If this happens, it will be extremely difficult for Ukraine to continue its armed resistance against the Russian aggression, according to Le Monde. In the month that Trump has been in office, no new military or financial aid packages for Ukraine have been announced by the US. Last week, during a meeting of countries supplying weapons to Ukraine in the Ramstein format in Germany, the US did not announce any new supplies for the first time since the format was created. Previously, Zelenskyy had stated that Ukraine’s air defense forces were already running out of missiles for the American Patriot systems, the only system capable of destroying Russian ballistic missiles. American weapon supplies have not been officially canceled at the moment. However, without US military aid, "we will last half a year," said former First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General-Lieutenant Ihor Romanenko, during the Munich Security Conference.

"Europe cannot replace American aid," he emphasized.

Romanenko noted that last winter and spring, when Trump supporters blocked the new aid bill to Kyiv for several months, Ukraine already felt the consequences of limiting US military support. Analyst Mykola Mitrokhin from Bremen University added that the current US aid, according to already approved programs, will last until "mid-summer" or "fall." The supply of American weapons is critical, at least for certain types of equipment. In particular, only the US can provide Ukraine with missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. At the same time, the US has been responsible for a significant portion of light armored vehicle supplies and 155mm artillery shells.

European defense industry unable to supply critical HIMARS, Patriot missiles if US aid ends

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