A top investor in Ukrainian defence tech has warned that Donald Trump's decision to suspend aid and intelligence to Kyiv could risk a "doomsday" clash between China and America.

The existential warning follows Donald Trump's decision to pause military aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine after Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting in the White House descended into chaos, with the Ukrainian President asked to leave without a security guarantee or minerals deal.

Suspending US military aid and intelligence to Ukraine will have far-reaching consequences, warns investor Davis Richardson.

Before we explore how he comes at this, let's look at why Ukraine matters so much to foreign powers.

Donald Trump's decision to withdraw military aid from Ukraine risks emboldening China, warns top investor

Ukraine is often viewed as a proxy war for a wider conflict between the West and a new axis that's forming against it, namely China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

As Ukraine's defence industry is innovating faster than the West and its adversaries, whoever wins this war (if it is, in fact, winnable) will come to acquire the technological capabilities that could shape future conflicts and the global balance of power.

Richardson has a better understanding than most of the special interests involved in Ukraine as he is a limited partner (LP) investor in Green Flag Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in Ukrainian defence tech companies such as Swarmer.

Swarmer develops AI-driven, autonomous multi-drone systems tested on the frontlines of Ukraine’s defense.

Why is this significant? Thanks to the war, Ukraine is now a world leader in the technology of drones, which are cheaper to produce - therefore more scalable - and deadlier than many provided by the West.

It is this precise reason why walking away from Ukraine is a fatal move for America that could ultimately embolden its chief rival in the race for supremacy, warns Richardson.

"The new weapons being deployed in Ukraine, with AI and drone warfare, will also be incorporated in any future conflict with China," he told GB News.

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As he explains, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has prioritised investment into the country’s defence tech sector through the Brave1 initiative, which promotes key Ukrainian companies and teams to US investors.

"They are often incorporated in Delaware or friendly country like Poland or Estonia, with Ukrainian teams overseeing R&D in Ukraine," he told GB News.

Although the current committed capital deployed to these companies is small by US standards, there has been a significant amount of interest in these teams, especially from Denmark, according to Richardson.

"These teams are incredibly innovative, particularly around swarm technology for drones and producing at scale."

He continued: "If the US backs away and China becomes a trading partner of Ukraine, Beijing could also benefit from Ukraine's tremendous wealth of intellectual property and technological capabilities developed during wartime conditions."

Having this infrastructure and expertise fall into adversary hands would be a "doomsday situation", the investor fears, especially as the US prepares to recalibrate its focus on the Pacific region.

"The technology being developed right now is seen by many as a precursor to what could come with China.”

He adds that it's an "unwise calculation" to think Russia was somehow separate from the axis of China and Iran, and could be somehow turned towards the US.

This axis could acquire Ukraine's military capabilities, which would be a "disaster" for the United States.

"Ukraine wants to be an ally to the US - it does not want to be an ally to China, because China has supplied Putin's regime with weapons which kill Ukrainians."