Trump Halts Arms Sales to Ukraine – When Will Kyiv’s Supplies Run Out?

The U.S. government has halted funding for new arms sales to Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report indicates that Donald Trump is considering freezing arms shipments from American stockpiles, a move that threatens Ukraine’s ability to fight against Russian forces, current and former U.S. officials have stated. The funding freeze occurred in recent weeks amidst the suspension of foreign aid by the administration. However, the potential closure of the main pipeline for arms delivery to Ukraine comes just days after a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. The tense Friday meeting (28/02/2025) raised fears across Europe that the U.S. might distance itself from the broader Western alliance. On Monday (03/03/2025), Trump remarked that the war with Russia could continue for some time. ‘This is the worst statement Zelenskyy and America cannot endure much longer!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, using an alternate spelling of the Ukrainian leader’s name. The Trump administration ordered all foreign aid, including military assistance, to cease at the end of January, except for Israel and Egypt. Meanwhile, the U.S. sent nearly $3 billion worth of new weapons to Israel, including over 35,000 2,000-pound bombs, citing an emergency rule based on U.S. arms control laws. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently signed an exception to exclude Ukraine from the arms ban imposed by Trump, but Assistant Secretary Peter Marocco has not sent the required letter to the Pentagon to allow aid flow to Kyiv, current officials said. Without new U.S. military assistance, Ukraine likely has enough arms to continue fighting Russia at the current pace until mid-year, say current and former Western officials. This is partly due to a wave of new arms approved by the Biden administration in its final days. European leaders held a summit in London over the weekend and agreed to form a coalition to present a peace plan to Trump, involving ground troops and military assets. While European allies and Ukraine’s growing defense industry can cover part of any potential shortfall, the end of American aid would cut off access to advanced weapon systems critical for Ukraine’s broader strategy against Russia’s full-scale invasion. If the halt in U.S. aid continues, Ukraine will lose supplies of certain advanced weapons, including tactical missile systems and high-mobility rocket artillery systems, which enable strikes deep behind Russian lines.