Ukraine Reacts to US Aid Pause; Kyiv Hits Back

A senior Ukrainian lawmaker said on March 4 that the U.S. President Donald Trump’s pause on military aid seems as if he is trying to push Kyiv towards capitulation on Russia's terms.

Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine's Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, told Reuters, “To stop aid now means to help (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”

He said, “On the surface, this looks really bad. It looks like he is pushing us towards capitulation, meaning (accepting) Russia's demands.”

Notably, the move follows an explosive confrontation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy where the former accused the latter of being insufficiently grateful for Washington's support in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The main thing is that this a psychological blow, a political blow upon Ukraine, it doesn't help our spirit” Merezhko said.

He compared the aid stoppage to the Munich Agreement of 1938, when Nazi Germany was allowed to annex part of Czechoslovakia.

“This is worse than Munich, because at least there they didn't try to paint Czechoslovakia as the aggressor, but here they try to accuse the victim of aggression - it is extremely dangerous.”