Ukraine can maintain frontline, says its PM, after Trump puts military aid on hold

Ukraine PM Shmyhal: ‘Our military and government have the tools to maintain situation on frontline’

Reuters is carrying further quotes from Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal, who said that his country was ready to sign a minerals deal with the US. The Donald Trump administration has been attempting to persuade Ukraine to provide it with minerals in exchange for military aid already rendered during Russia’s invasion.

Shmyhal said “Our military and the government have the capabilities, the tools, let’s say, to maintain the situation on the frontline. They are obviously not subject to disclosure. We will continue to work with the US through all available channels in a calm manner.”

At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday after chaos erupted in Serbia’s parliament, where smoke bombs and flares were thrown.

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Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a law that would increase funding for university education, but opposition parties insisted the session was illegal and should first confirm the resignation of prime minister Miloš Vučević and his government.

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Local media RTS reported that “Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić said MP Jasmina Obradović, who was hit by a stun gun, suffered a stroke and is fighting for her life. MP Jasmina Karanac was also injured, as was Sonja Ilić, who is eight months pregnant.”

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The details have not been independently verified by the Guardian. Other reports suggest at least one MP was hit by a bottle amid the chaotic scenes.

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Reuters reports that after the ruling coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) approved the agenda for the session, some opposition politicians ran out of their seats towards the parliamentary speaker and scuffled with security guards. Others tossed smoke grenades and teargas, with live TV showing black and pink smoke inside the building.

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The ruling coalition in Serbia has accused western intelligence agencies of trying to destabilise the country and topple the government by backing protests which have been ongoing since a railway station roof collapse in November 2024.

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“Please fasten your seatbelts, we’re entering a turbulence zone, one could say” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said today while opening a meeting of the Polish cabinet in Warsaw.

n In his opening remarks, Tusk warned of “unprecedented” risks facing Europe, including “the biggest in the last few decades when it comes to security”. He urged ministers in his coalition government to put party differences aside as he expected the need to make “extraordinary” decisions.

n “As you know, a decision was announced to suspend the US aid for Ukraine, and perhaps start lifting sanctions on Russia. We don’t have any reason to think these are just words,” he said.

n He added that the reports he was getting from the Polish-Ukrainian border and the Polish logistics hub in Rzeszów-Jasionka, used for supplies for Ukraine, confirmed that the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine had been implemented.

n “This puts Europe, Ukraine, Poland in a more difficult situation that we now need to face,” he said.

n He said Poland was determined to “intensify activities in Europe to increase our defence capabilities, while also taking care, despite of what’s happening, of the best possible transatlantic relations and cooperation with our closest ally, the US.”

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Jon Henley is the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, based in Paris

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A five-part plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry and increase its military capability could raise nearly €800bn and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine after the US suspended aid to Kyiv, the head of the European Commission has said.

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Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday the 27-member bloc would propose giving member states more fiscal space for defence investments, as well as €150bn in loans for those investments, and would also aim to mobilise private capital.

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Presenting the “ReArm Europe” package in Brussels, von der Leyen said: “This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up.” The proposals “could mobilise close to €800bn of defence expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe”, she added.

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“A new era is upon us,” the commission president wrote to EU leaders. “Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifetime … We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times.”

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The commission’s plan includes €150bn of new joint EU borrowing that would be lent to EU governments to fund pan-European capabilities in areas such as air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles, ammunition, drones and other needs.

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“It will help member states to pool demand and to buy together. This will reduce costs, reduce fragmentation, increase interoperability and strengthen our defence industrial base,” von der Leyen said.

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“With this equipment, member states can massively step up their support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine,” she added.

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Read Jon Henley’s full report here: EU plan to bolster Europe’s defences could raise €800bn for Ukraine

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Pjotr Sauer is a Russian affairs reporter for the Guardian

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The Kremlin on Tuesday welcomed the US pause in military aid to Ukraine, claiming it could push Kyiv to the negotiating table.

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“If this is true, then it is a decision that could genuinely push the Kyiv regime towards a peace process,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists. “This would probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace,” he added.

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Peskov said he expected European countries to try to “compensate” for the shortfall in US ammunition supplies. “But, of course, the main volume has still been coming from the US, through US channels,” he said.

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Moscow also welcomed media reports that the US is considering a plan for possible sanctions relief for Russia.

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“Our position on sanctions is well known – we consider them illegal,” Peskov said. “Of course, if we’re talking about normalising bilateral relations, they need to be freed from this negative burden of so-called sanctions.”

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Reuters reported on Monday that the US was drawing up a plan to potentially ease sanctions on Russia as president Donald Trump seeks to restore ties with Moscow and end the war in Ukraine.

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Poland’s foreign ministry has said that the decision by the Trump administration to suspend US military aid to Ukraine was taken without consultation with allies.

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Reuters reports that in a statement spokesperson Paweł Wroński said “This is a very important decision, and the situation is very serious. This sentence may sound banal, but it has great political significance – it (the decision) was made without any information, or consultation, neither with Nato allies, nor with the Ramstein group, which is involved in supporting Ukraine in its fight.”

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The Czech Republic’s prime minister Petr Fiala has called for a “fundamental shift” in European policy in reaction to Donald Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine.

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In a post to social media, he said:

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n

President Trump’s decision highlights the urgent need for a fundamental shift in Europe’s current policy.

n

We must strengthen our economic and military capabilities and take full responsibility for our own security. This requires increased investment in defence. Ensuring our security also means intensifying our support for Ukraine. We cannot allow Russia’s aggressive policy, which threatens us all, to succeed.

n

The era of relying on others to address fundamental international challenges on our behalf is over. Now is the time for Europe to move decisively from words to action.

n

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New EU plans to strengthen Europe’s defence industry and increase military capabilities could mobilise close to €800bn ($841.4bn), EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday in Brussels.

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The EU will propose to give member states more fiscal space for defence investments, as well as €150bn euros in loans for those investments, and will aim to mobilise private capital as well, Reuters reports von der Leyen said

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Reuters is now carrying a fuller quote from Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, who told the news agency that the Trump administration move to suspend military aid to Ukraine resembled the appeasement of Adolf Hitler with the Munich agreement of 1938.

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The senior Ukrainian lawmaker said:

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n

To stop aid now means to help Putin. On the surface, this looks really bad. It looks like [Donald Trump] is pushing us towards capitulation, (accepting) Russia’s demands. The main thing is that this a psychological blow, a political blow upon Ukraine, it doesn’t help our spirit.

n

This is worse than Munich, because at least there they didn’t try to paint Czechoslovakia as the aggressor, but here they try to accuse the victim of aggression – it is extremely dangerous.

n

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On 30 September 1938, Germany, Britain, France and Italy reached a settlement that permitted Nazi Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland in what was then western Czechoslovakia.

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A minister in the UK government has said that diplomacy cannot be done “over the airwaves” and that he did not think the UK government could act as an honest broker if it was providing a running commentary on every “twist and turn”.

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He added that US military spending was a matter for the US government.

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PA Media quotes Housing minister Alex Norris, speaking in the UK on Times Radio, saying:

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n

We’re absolutely committed to securing a lasting peace in Ukraine. We’re engaging with our allies in support of that goal.

n

We’ve made significant commitments to Ukraine, that’s what we’ll continue to do, all in pursuit of a lasting peace, which will be achieved through putting Ukraine in a strong position.

n

US military spending is a decision for the United States. All of us, I think, are committed to securing that lasting peace.

n

We’re honest brokers in this process, we’re bringing together partners to get what we think is the goal that certainly we want as the UK, but I think we want globally as well. I don’t think we can be that honest broker if we provide a running commentary on every twist and turn. You know, I don’t think diplomacy can be done over the airwaves, so I’ve no intention of doing that.

n

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Asked about how Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy should react to the apparent pressure being put on him to apologise to US president Donald Trump in public, Norris said “I don’t think it’s for me to try and police [Zelenskyy’s] words or tell him what you ought to say.”

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A minister in the French government has said that the US decision to pause military aid to Ukraine makes peace “more distant”.

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Benjamin Haddad, the junior minister for Europe, is quoted by Reuters saying “Fundamentally, if you want peace, does a decision to suspend arms to Ukraine reinforce peace or does it make it more distant? It makes it more distant, because it only strengthens the hand of the aggressor on the ground, which is Russia”. Haddad was speaking to France 2.

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In more European reaction to the decision from the Trump administration, Poland’s deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk has described the move as “bad news”, while Reuters reports that the Ukrainian parliamentary foreign affairs committee chair has told it that it looks like Donald Trump is pushing Ukraine towards capitulation.

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The suspension affects deliveries of ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment including shipments agreed to when Joe Biden was president.

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The rift between Washington and Kyiv has deepened after President Donald Trump paused US assistance to Ukraine as he seeks to pressure President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia.

n The move comes just days after a disastrous Oval Office meeting in which Trump and vice-president JD Vance tore into Zelenskyy for what they perceived as insufficient gratitude for the more than $180bn in military aid the US has sent to Kyiv since Russia invaded three years ago.

n A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal, AP reported. The official added that the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.

n The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, the official said.

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Earlier on Monday Trump had expressed fresh outrage at Zelenskyy for saying that the end of the war could be “very, very far away”.

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In a post to social media on Monday, the US president posted a link to an Associated Press story outlining Zelenskyy’s comments and said: “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!

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“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US. Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”

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In other developments:

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n
Russian forces are repeatedly trying to seize a foothold across Ukraine’s Dnipro River, dispatching troops on high-casualty missions to gain territory for future peace negotiations, according to the Ukrainian governor of Kherson region. Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian forces were trying to cross in four locations to justify their claim to the whole oblast, one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow says it wants to incorporate

n
US vice-president JD Vance said that the best way to protect Ukraine from another Russian invasion is to guarantee the US has a financial interest in Ukraine’s future. “If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Vance said in the interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity which aired Monday night

n
Tensions have surfaced between France and the UK over whether $350bn of frozen Russian assets can be seized and then offered to the US to buy defence equipment, binding America closer to the defence of Europe

n
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says his government will consider any proposal to send troops to Ukraine as part of a multinational peacekeeping force, as Europe considers a “coalition of the willing” to enforce any peace deal

n
On Monday a car rammed into crowds in the centre of the German city of Mannheim, killing two people and injuring several others, in what police described as a deliberate attack

n
Pope Francis, who has been in hospital with pneumonia for more than two weeks, suffered two episodes of “acute respiratory failure” on Monday, the Vatican said. The pontiff, 88, had returned to a stable condition during the weekend after a breathing crisis that caused him to vomit on Friday

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It is Martin Belam with you today. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.

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In London, the prime minister’s official spokesperson has said that Keir Starmer spoke to US president Donald Trump on Monday, but refused to be drawn on whether the conversation happened before or after Trump announced the US suspension of military aid to Ukraine. The spokesperson declined to comment directly on the US pause of support.

Earlier Poland’s foreign ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński said the Trump administration had made the move without consulting allies.

Injuries reported as Serbian MPs set off flares and smoke grenades inside parliament

At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday after chaos erupted in Serbia’s parliament, where smoke bombs and flares were thrown.

The details have not been independently verified by the Guardian. Other reports suggest at least one MP was hit by a bottle amid the chaotic scenes.

Flares and teargas thrown in Serbia’s parliament amid protests – video

Miranda Bryant

Miranda Bryant is the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent

Russia will redeploy resources if the war ends in Ukraine and shift its attention to Finland and other parts of Europe, Finnish security services have warned.

According to the 2025 annual report by Supo, the Finnish security and intelligence service, published on Tuesday, an end to the war in Ukraine would “improve the ability of Russia to engage in hostile activity elsewhere in Europe”. This would also “increase the threat to Finland,” it said.

The report also warned that multiple states, including Russia, have increased their use of proxies both in intelligence and broader influencing campaigns, including in an attempt to “undermine western support for Ukraine”.

In the report, Supo said:

Sabotage operations in Europe linked to the Russian military intelligence service GRU are one example of this. By using intermediaries, Russia seeks to cover its tracks. Russian sabotage operations aim to influence public opinion and the sense of public safety, and to overwhelm the authorities in target countries. The main goal at the moment is to undermine western support for Ukraine.

Finland is a target for “continuous and active espionage operations” from Russia and China, it said, as well as Iran.

Supo director, Juha Martelius, said:

The western intelligence community has a highly uniform view of the growing threat from Russia. As a country that borders Russia and as a state on the Baltic Sea, Finland must prepare for growth in Russian influencing.

Ukraine PM Shmyhal: ‘Our military and government have the tools to maintain situation on frontline’

Prime minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, has said any US end to military aid to Ukraine puts the use of Patriot air defence systems at risk. Reuters reports he said that there were risks over repairs, maintenance and supplies of munitions for the Patriots, and that they are the only system Ukraine has that is capable of repelling Russian ballistic missile strikes.

Just to note that what Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has said there, that his information is that the US has already implemented a decision to cease military aid to Ukraine, contrasts with noises coming from Ukraine itself.

Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, on its official Telegram channel, just quoted prime minister Denys Shmyhal saying “there is no information that anything has been stopped.”

Tusk: US decision to suspend military aid puts ‘Europe, Ukraine, Poland in a more difficult situation’

Jakub Krupa

“Please fasten your seatbelts, we’re entering a turbulence zone, one could say” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said today while opening a meeting of the Polish cabinet in Warsaw.

In his opening remarks, Tusk warned of “unprecedented” risks facing Europe, including “the biggest in the last few decades when it comes to security”. He urged ministers in his coalition government to put party differences aside as he expected the need to make “extraordinary” decisions.

“As you know, a decision was announced to suspend the US aid for Ukraine, and perhaps start lifting sanctions on Russia. We don’t have any reason to think these are just words,” he said.

He added that the reports he was getting from the Polish-Ukrainian border and the Polish logistics hub in Rzeszów-Jasionka, used for supplies for Ukraine, confirmed that the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine had been implemented.

“This puts Europe, Ukraine, Poland in a more difficult situation that we now need to face,” he said.

He said Poland was determined to “intensify activities in Europe to increase our defence capabilities, while also taking care, despite of what’s happening, of the best possible transatlantic relations and cooperation with our closest ally, the US.”

In the UK, chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to give a speech this afternoon in which she will promise to “fire up Britain’s industrial base” as part of plans to increase the country’s defence spending.

PA Media report she will say “For too long politicians of all stripes have ducked and dodged the decisions needed to fire up Britain’s industrial base and unleash its potential to keep the country safe. We’re changing that by increasing defence spending and making defence a cornerstone of our industrial strategy.”

The move comes as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry and increase its military capability, which she claimed could raise nearly €800bn (£660bn / $841bn) and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine.

Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark’s defence secretary, has also reacted to the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine. He said “There are some things that the Ukrainians are completely dependent on with regards to the Americans. These include the missiles used in the Patriot air defence system, which is American. So this will put Europe in a situation where we now really need to do more ourselves to help Ukraine.”

Nataliya Gumenyuk, Ukrainian journalist and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab, writes for the Guardian today.

You can read her views here: Even after the White House ambush and now Trump’s military pause, Ukrainians are defiant, but want a path to peace

Europe ‘ready to step up’ and increase defence spending, von der Leyen says

Jon Henley

Jon Henley is the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, based in Paris

“With this equipment, member states can massively step up their support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine,” she added.

Read Jon Henley’s full report here: EU plan to bolster Europe’s defences could raise €800bn for Ukraine

Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has posted to social media to say that Poland is safer if Ukraine is “sovereign, pro-western, and able to defend itself against Russian aggression.”

He wrote:

A sovereign Ukraine, pro-western, and able to defend itself against Russian aggression means a stronger and safer Poland. In the political turmoil and growing chaos, this is what counts most. Whoever questions this obvious truth contributes to Putin’s triumph. Understand?

Kremlin welcomes US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine, calls for lifting of sanctions

Pjotr Sauer

Pjotr Sauer is a Russian affairs reporter for the Guardian

The Kremlin on Tuesday welcomed the US pause in military aid to Ukraine, claiming it could push Kyiv to the negotiating table.

Moscow also welcomed media reports that the US is considering a plan for possible sanctions relief for Russia.

Reuters reported on Monday that the US was drawing up a plan to potentially ease sanctions on Russia as president Donald Trump seeks to restore ties with Moscow and end the war in Ukraine.

Poland’s foreign ministry: US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine taken without consulting or informing allies

Poland’s foreign ministry has said that the decision by the Trump administration to suspend US military aid to Ukraine was taken without consultation with allies.

The Kremlin has said that if the US is really suspending military aid to Ukraine, that could force Kyiv into peace negotiations.

During his regular daily briefing, Tass reports Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that any normalising of relations between Russia and the US would require economic sanctions to be lifted, and that the greatest contribution to peace the US could make would be to stop sponsoring Ukraine.

Czech PM Fiala: ‘We cannot allow Russia’s aggressive policy to succeed’

The Czech Republic’s prime minister Petr Fiala has called for a “fundamental shift” in European policy in reaction to Donald Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine.

In a post to social media, he said:

President Trump’s decision highlights the urgent need for a fundamental shift in Europe’s current policy.

We must strengthen our economic and military capabilities and take full responsibility for our own security. This requires increased investment in defence. Ensuring our security also means intensifying our support for Ukraine. We cannot allow Russia’s aggressive policy, which threatens us all, to succeed.

The era of relying on others to address fundamental international challenges on our behalf is over. Now is the time for Europe to move decisively from words to action.

Source: www.theguardian.com