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UKRAINE vowed to resist an imposed peace deal or demands it surrender territory to Russia today after the United States paused military aid.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said any peace must be “on Ukraine’s terms, as the victim country” that was invaded by Russia in 2022.
Giving up territory to Russia, which occupies nearly 20 per cent of Ukraine, “is not possible” under the United Nations Charter, he said.
US President Donald Trump halted military assistance on Monday, saying it was no longer clear aid was helping to resolve the conflict after his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said a peace deal with Russia was “far away.” Mr Trump retorted that if “somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long.”
The order will remain in effect until President Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Other Ukrainian allies fear it could cause battlefield collapse.
Though European countries have promised to step up aid as the US cools on the conflict, Ukraine is heavily dependent on US-supplied air defence systems and guided missiles which cannot easily be supplied by other countries.
A London summit called by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attempted to project a united pro-Ukraine position, but within hours Britain had distanced itself from French proposals for a truce, while Italy, Germany and Poland have dismissed the idea of joining a mooted Franco-British troop deployment to Ukraine. The British government was then forced to disown its own ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, for calling on Ukraine to declare a ceasefire.
Ukrainian soldiers at the front, speaking to the Associated Press, suggested the loss of assistance could be disastrous. Russia has been steadily advancing along most of its front line in Ukraine, having a larger and better equipped army, though Ukraine has not been wholly driven out of territory in Russia’s Kursk region it counter-attacked in last year.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one said: “If we have weapons, enough ammunition, infantry, armoured vehicles and aviation — great. If not, then we’re done.”
