News - Middle East: Ukraine says its forces could hold the situation together on the battlefield with Russia even after US President Donald Trump suspended all military support to the country.

Kiev woke up to the news on Tuesday that Trump was "pausing and reviewing" all shipments of military aid to Ukraine.

“President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace,” said a US official, on condition of anonymity.

“We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

While the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, have yet to comment, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal of Ukraine told a press conference that his country “will do everything to hold out.”

“Our military and the government have the capabilities, the tools, let's say, to maintain the situation on the front line.”

He said Kiev “will continue to work with the US through all available channels in a calm manner.”

“Ukraine is absolutely determined to continue cooperation with the US.”

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also wrote in a message on X that the country’s authorities are “discussing options with our European partners, and of course, we are not overlooking the possibility of negotiations with our American counterparts.”

President Zelensky himself stayed silent over Trump’s order. But he said in a public statement that he had spoken with Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz, who emphasized Berlin's military and financial aid to Ukraine.

“We remember that Germany is the leader in supplying air defense systems to Ukraine and plays a crucial role in ensuring our financial stability.” Zelensky wrote on X.

Russia welcomed Trump’s order to pause military aid to Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing it as “the best contribution to peace.”

Military analysts say Ukraine could likely sustain its current fighting pace for several weeks before a US pause would begin to have a major effect.

The administration of former US President Joe Biden rushed shipments of weapons to the country in its waning days, providing Kiev with large stockpiles of advanced weapons.

Biden has been Kiev’s most important military backer since Russia launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022.

Press TV