# Fears Ukraine Defences Will Last Only Months Without US Support

There are fears Ukraine's defences may be able to hold out for only a matter of months without US support.

Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the Ukrainian parliament's defence committee, estimates his country's weapons stockpile will last just six months after Donald Trump's decision to pause shipments of military equipment.

One soldier on the frontline said Ukraine's military might be able to hold out for "maybe six months" after the removal of US aid, adding the cost of the decision would be "measured in lives".

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is "ready to work fast to end the war" and expressed regret over Friday's fiery Oval Office meeting.

"Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be," Zelensky said on social media on Tuesday.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal also said his country is still willing to cooperate with the US, and reiterated Kyiv's "gratefulness" to Washington for their support to date.

Venislavsky, one of Zelensky's MPs, said Ukraine officials were also working to find ways to compensate for the shortfall of weapons in the wake of the US announcement.

"I think we've definitely got enough resources to last about half a year even without consistent help from the US, but of course it will be much more difficult," he said.

The Ukrainian defence committee had already held a meeting behind closed doors to discuss "the negative scenario of the possible stop to US military assistance", Venislavsky added.

One serving 25-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who the BBC is not naming because she did not have permission to speak, said she did not think Ukraine's military could hold out for "very long - maybe six months".

"But judging by how our units and our army have endured extreme pressure without assistance before, I still don't know the full capacity of our forces," she continued.

"The real cost of the US cutting off aid will be measured in lives, in more orphans, in more suffering," she said, adding Europe could replace US support if they "step out of their comfort zones".

Serhii, a soldier in Kupiansk, also said the EU could replace US aid "if they wanted to, but the EU itself is not as united around this goal".

Many homes on the front-line have been rebuilt with US aid money, he said, and many rely on its food and medical supplies.

A 31-year-old grenade launcher commander in Russia's Kursk region voiced confidence in Ukraine's military power and said his unit could "keep pressuring  indefinitely" without US support.

"Analysts estimate we have about six months' worth of ammunition. But we all know that the resources of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are limitless. So if needed, we'll keep hitting them as long as necessary," he said.

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Civilians on the front line, too, said they have faith in Ukraine's resourcefulness.

"There have been pauses in supplies before - we will restore our own faster," council worker Oleksandra Shcherbyna said.

"Everything coming from the US now benefits Europe's consolidation."

Yuliya Balayeva, a translator, remembered the last time Ukraine was without US aid.

In the summer of 2023, Republicans in Congress blocked then-President Joe Biden's £60bn aid package for Ukraine, eventually passing it in spring 2024.

"The last time aid was delayed due to Congress blocking it, two of my friends were killed on the front line. I hope this time we are better prepared," Ms Balayeva said.

Dobrynia Ivanov, an artist, said Ukraine had retained its dignity throughout the diplomatic breakdown.

"In the end, the only power suffering public humiliation is not Ukraine, nor even Russia, but the United States itself," he said.

*Additional reporting by Hafsa Khalil, Vitaliy Shevchenko and Paul Kirby*

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