The United States' abrupt freeze on military aid to Ukraine, announced on Tuesday, March 4, to force Kyiv to go along with Donald Trump's "peace plan," is unlikely to have any immediate consequences on the fighting. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Tuesday that the army had "the capacities and tools necessary to maintain the front line" against the onslaught of Russian forces, but said he was more concerned about the future of the Patriot defense systems supplied to Kyiv by Washington.

The White House has not announced any clear conditions for restarting military aid to Ukraine. The decision was taken personally by Trump, who entrusted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with its execution, Bloomberg reported. Washington currently supplies around 30% of the weapons used by Ukraine's armed forces, an amount equivalent to what is delivered by Kyiv's other allies, mainly European. Around 40% of the arm used are produced or assembled in Ukraine.

The most problematic aspect of the aid freeze concerns the military capabilities that only the US is currently able to supply to Ukraine. These include Patriot and Nasams anti-aircraft systems, as well as missiles for F-16 fighters and ground-to-ground missiles designed for the HIMARS system.

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