Will Trump allow Europe to fund weapons for Ukraine? Expert weighs in
US military aid (Photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has halted arms shipments to Ukraine. At the same time, he has delayed responding to Europe's proposal to supply weapons to Kyiv using European funds. According to Ihor Romanenko, former deputy chief of the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, this hesitation can be explained by Trump's perception of Ukraine as a "weak state" that can be pressured.
Romanenko recalled that European countries had repeatedly proposed a scheme in which the United States would sell weapons to Ukraine using European funds. However, Trump has been "stalling," as he put it.
"Europe makes the offer, but Trump refuses to move forward. He wants to apply pressure — specifically to force Ukraine to make concessions, not Russia. He won't touch Russia or Putin [Russian President Vladimir Putin], because he's afraid," the expert said.
Romanenko suggested that Putin may have some kind of leverage over Trump — possibly compromising material or an old photo from Trump's younger years in St. Petersburg or elsewhere in Russia.
"One way or another, sooner or later it will all come to light. But the real question is — what will happen to Ukraine when it does?" he concluded.
The United States halts weapons deliveries to Ukraine
On the evening of July 1, it became known that the Pentagon is suspending certain arms shipments to Ukraine, including precision-guided munitions and air defense missiles. US media reported that the decision was made by Elbridge A. Colby, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and a long-time critic of military aid to Ukraine. The stated reason was an alleged shortage of these types of weapons for US forces themselves.
Later, the White House confirmed the suspension of specific arms deliveries. US Ambassador to the UN Matthew Whitaker also verified the information, stating that the pause was intended to ensure the US maintains its own combat readiness.
Following these developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to hold a phone call with Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the president of the European Commission has called for increased military support for Ukraine from Europe.
