Ukraine may face challenges replacing weaponry if U.S. suspends military aid - military expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

“We actually don’t yet know the consequences of yesterday's negotiations, whether U.S. military aid has been suspended or not. We have contracts signed with American defense companies, and they are being fulfilled. These are business projects aimed at supplying weapons to Ukraine in 2025 and 2026. Regarding the possibility of replacing American weapons, there is a list of services and weaponry that will be difficult to replace: first and foremost, when it comes to air defense systems, such as Patriot complexes, as it is known that the production rate for these missiles is about 700 units per year. Therefore, there is the option of expanding – instead of Patriot, purchasing European SAMP/T systems, which can also fight ballistic missiles,” commented Serhiy Zgurets.

According to him, when it comes to ammunition, it can be said that the potential of European countries has significantly increased. The Czech-led initiative for purchasing Soviet-caliber ammunition remains in effect, and this may, in the medium term, compensate for the limitation of American shells if that happens.

"As for critical things like intelligence, it involves many components: data on Russian troops, data on the movement of missile launchers like Iskanders, which is related to our warning systems, as well as data on cruise missile flights. However, there are compensators from NATO – AWACS aircraft. There are certain risks regarding the preparation of data from the American side for launching Storm Shadow, TAURUS missiles, if we get to that point. There will be certain challenges, but I think Europe will seek a replacement," the military expert noted.

In his opinion, Europe's assistance as a compensator for American aid should be viewed more broadly: it should include military cooperation between Ukraine and European countries, as well as collaboration in defense industry sectors.

"If we talk about critical items, I don’t see anything in the list I’ve already mentioned that can't be replaced. Even with Starlink, our military says they have certain alternatives and solutions. Regarding HIMARS, since 2022, the pace of supplying these systems has slowed down because the production rate in the U.S. hasn’t increased. The 90 km range is now actively covered by our long-range drones. So, today there are alternatives through accelerating our defense industry, and this will be a significant shake-up for our defense sector to focus more on increasing production and less on PR in certain areas, also ensuring an audit of our defense capabilities and improving the effectiveness of the Armed Forces," concluded Zgurets’.

• On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for a working visit. During the press conference, a dispute arose between Trump, Zelenskyy, and U.S. Vice President Jay D. Vance.
• It was later revealed that the joint press conference of Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump was canceled following the argument.
• After the quarrel at the White House, European leaders and U.S. politicians began expressing support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine. 
• Press Secretary of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, Karoline Leavitt, announced the intention of the American authorities to stop providing military aid to Ukraine.