Will Europe arm Ukraine after the US halts military aid?

As news broke overnight Monday of the U.S. decision to halt military aid to Kyiv, Russian drones continued to rain down on Ukrainian cities, targeting Odesa in the south and Sumy in the northeast.

Ukrainian lawmakers say the consequences of Washington's decision will be stark.

"This means that thousands of people will die," Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko told The Associated Press. "I just want to ask [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump just to reconsider, to give some time to Ukraine."

Can Europe make up for the shortfall of military aid from the U.S.?

"There is a sharp limit to what Europe can do," said Mark Galeotti, executive director of the consultancy Mayak Intelligence and the author of "Forged in War," a military history of Russia.

"There are certain systems, ranging from Patriot missiles all the way through to spare parts for the Abrams tanks and Bradley personnel carriers, that the Ukrainians are using, that the only way the Europeans can get [them] is by buying them on the open market. And that is going to take time," Galeotti told VOA, adding that some weapons systems ordered on the open market in 2022 were arriving only now in Ukraine.

Ukrainian weapons

Ukraine, however, is far less reliant on the West than it was at the outset of the Russian invasion in 2022, said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"Increasingly, Ukraine has been producing its own weapons," Chalmers told The Associated Press. "It has a very large and growing defense industry, some of it financed from abroad, with a lot of cooperation from Western defense companies."

"So probably about half the weapons which Ukraine is now using are provided by its own defense industry. And of the remainder, it's about half and half between the United States and the others, including the Europeans," Chalmers said, adding that U.S. forces play a vital role "in the logistical arrangements, which actually get the weapons from Poland into Ukraine."

Ukraine-Russia conflict completes third anniversary. Photo Courtesy: UNOCHA/Dmytro Filipskyy

"And finally, the U.S. plays a very important role in providing information, intelligence to the Ukrainian forces," Chalmers said.

Peace negotiations

The Trump administration said Tuesday the halt in military aid is "to ensure that it is contributing to a solution."

"We want the Ukrainians to have a sovereign and independent country," U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters Tuesday. "We think the Ukrainian troops have fought very bravely, but we're at a point here where neither Europe nor the United States nor the Ukrainians can continue this war indefinitely. So, it's important that everybody come to the table, and the president is trying to send a very explicit message: The Ukrainians have got to come to the table and start negotiating with President Trump."

Europe is taking a different approach.

After hosting a meeting of European and Ukrainian leaders on Sunday, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said a "coalition of the willing" would seek to continue to support Kyiv.

"It's time to act. Time to step up and lead. The U.K. is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others. Europe must do the heavy lifting," he said.

In reality, Europe is not united in its support for Ukraine, said analyst Galeotti.

"Vice President Vance's claim — that a lot of the European leaders, who on social media and in public are foursquare behind Kyiv but in private they're actually much more skeptical — is not entirely incorrect. Do you essentially continue to hollow out your own armed forces and also alienate your most powerful security ally and guarantor in the name of defending Ukraine?"

Zelenskyy appeal

Zelenskyy appealed to the Trump administration Tuesday, writing on X that Ukraine was committed to peace. In a video posted online, Zelenskyy said, "We must find the strength to move forward, respect one another — as we have always respected America, Europe, and all our partners — and work together to bring peace closer. I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine in this."

The cut in U.S. aid is a bitter outcome for some Ukrainians suffering under Russian bombardment. Those who spoke with VOA chose not to use their last names for safety reasons.

Viktoria, a resident of Kyiv, said Ukraine was being unfairly punished.

"I hope that [Trump] will change his mind. The victim of aggression cannot be guilty of everything and be punished in addition to that," she told VOA.

Illia fled to Kyiv from his home in Donetsk following the invasion.

"Maybe Europe can help somehow. The hope is only in Europe now, no one else," he said.

Hanna, who fled the Russian invasion of Crimea, feared the impact of the cut in aid.

"This will have a serious impact, especially on the battlefield. The price will be human lives," she said.

Russia, meanwhile, welcomed Washington's decision to halt military aid for Ukraine, saying it might help "to settle the situation by peaceful means."

(Anna Chernikova contributed to this report.)