Nation stands by Zelensky as Trump suspends military aid amid US-Ukraine rift
Ukrainians are standing behind their president in the wake of the rift that saw Donald Trump suspend US military aid, according to a Ukrainian reporter.
"The decision to hold the US military aid will be harsh on Ukrainians, first of all for the Ukrainian army, which is reliant on the US aid and US weapons," explained Sashko Shevchenko, a journalist with the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague.
Ukrainian security analysts all agree that the actual effect on the ground of the freeze in aid will not be felt overnight - but it will be felt in a matter of weeks or months, he pointed out.
Mr Shevchenko said Ukraine is highly dependent on US support for its Patriot air defence systems, which help defend cities targeted in Russian attacks.
A break in resupply of missiles used in the Patriot system would leave urban areas more exposed.
But Ukrainians fear there could be many other implications of losing US military aid.
"It is also very important how dependent the Ukrainian army was on the US intelligence and the capabilities to share their intelligence," said Mr Shevchenko.
The US military aid contribution for Ukraine amounts to around half of the total contribution from all Nato member countries.
"Some of the areas the Ukrainian army relies on from the US is just irreplaceable sometimes," he said.
"That means that new capabilities need to be developed, the alternatives need to be looked for."
One key concern is the US-supplied satellite internet system Starlink could be disconnected, with serious consequences for military communications.
Ukrainians stand by their wartime leader
Despite the ugly public rift with the White House, Ukrainians are still supportive of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The general mood is that as it was right after this very harsh talk in the Oval Office on Friday, the people we spoke to are really standing behind the Ukrainian president.
They believe mostly that (US President) Donald Trump was not in the right here and his Vice President JD Vance was in the wrong here," said Mr Shevchenko.
For now, Ukrainian politicians are turning to Europe for solutions.
"The general mood is that Kiev needs to concentrate more on negotiating with European partners and see how European countries can mobilise in order not just to accumulate money, but also to develop some alternatives to the US capabilities," he explained.
But the worry is that the US military aid suspension has left such a gaping hole, it may be too large for European countries too fill.
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