Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs A day after President Trump ordered the suspension of American military assistance, Ukrainian diplomats and politicians scrambled on Tuesday to find a way to salvage their alliance with Washington while the war weary nation prepared for the possibility that it will have to fight on without U.S. support.With the White House and the Kremlin growing ever more closely aligned, Ukraine was seeking to shore up support from its European allies, many of whom were quick to offer reassurances on Tuesday. Military officials were assessing how long Ukraine’s own stockpiles would last before the situation led to critical gaps on the front.An emergency meeting in the Ukrainian Parliament was convened on Tuesday to assess the impact of the latest pressure from Trump administration while soldiers in the trenches woke up to the news that an already grueling war could get even more challenging, and brutal.President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine did not comment directly on the aid suspension — which will affect more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition in the pipeline and on order — but he convened senior civilian and military leaders to discuss “special issues concerning our national resilience.”“We are working on all possible scenarios to protect Ukraine,” he said in his nightly address to the nation on Monday. “The base line scenario is to hold positions and create conditions for proper diplomacy, for the soonest possible end to this war with a decent peace.”In comments that seemed aimed at addressing President Trump’s accusations that he doesn’t want peace, Mr. Zelensky added: “We need peace — real, fair peace — not endless war. And we need security guarantees.”The decision to suspend the delivery of aid came three days after an explosive meeting at the White House in which Mr. Trump berated Mr. Zelensky and called him ungrateful — a rupture in relations that might be difficult to repair.In the streets and in the halls of Ukraine’s government, there were cries of betrayal. Some Ukrainians passed around clips online of old speeches from previous American presidents vowing to stand by Ukraine, including offering protection in return for its decision to give up nuclear weapons under the Clinton administration.But more than anger there was a sense of sadness and disbelief.The first thing that came to mind upon hearing the news was President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s phrase that “this date will go down in infamy,” Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, said in an interview. “It was a kind of Pearl Harbor, a political Pearl Harbor, for us.”It is all the more painful, Mr. Merezhko said, “when it comes not from your enemy, but from whom you consider to be your friend.”Mykhailo Samus, the deputy director at the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies in Ukraine, an independent institution, said a cutoff in aid would mean “that the U.S. is conducting a joint operation with Russia to force Ukraine — the victim of aggression — into surrender.”“The consequences would be a blow to the U.S.’s position as the former leader of the West,” he added.The impact to Ukraine would also be severe and grow with time, Mr. Samus said. But “if Trump thinks, or his advisers think, that there is some kind of switch that turns off the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Mr. Samus added, then the administration has fundamentally misunderstand why Ukrainians are fighting, their will to carry on and the current dynamics on the battlefield.European leaders — who will convene in Brussels on Thursday to discuss both support for Kyiv and the urgent need for Europe to build up its own military capabilities — were quick to rush to Ukraine’s defense Tuesday morning.Ursula von der Leyen, who heads the executive arm of the 27-nation European Union, said: “This is Europe’s moment and we must live up to it.”Appearing in Brussels, she proposed a new program that would make 150 billion euros in loans to member states to fund defense investment. Britain’s deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, said America’s suspension of military aid to Ukraine was “a very serious moment.” But she told the BBC that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would continue to work with the U.S., Europe and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace, and rejected the idea that it would cause a fissure between London and Washington.Mr. Starmer “won’t choose between the U.S. and Europe,” she said.The Kremlin, not surprisingly, rejoiced at the latest news.“If it’s true, then this is a decision which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process,” Dmitry S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters.“It’s obvious that the United States has been the main supplier of this war,” he added. “If the U.S. stops those supplies, this will be the best contribution to peace, I think.”However, some Ukrainians and Western military analysts said that rather than speeding the end of the war, the move could give Moscow even more incentive to keep fighting, since Mr. Trump is not applying any pressure on Russia to stop the war. They noted that it was Mr. Putin who started the war and whose army is on the offensive, albeit slowly.“There is no evidence that Russia would be prepared to accept a deal, and what that would be,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute, a research group in London. “Indeed this decision will encourage Putin to ask for more — including Ukrainian demilitarization and neutrality.”The pause will halt the delivery of interceptor missiles for Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, which have saved an untold number of lives as they provide the best shield for Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure from missile and drone attacks.While military analysts and Ukrainian officials have said Kyiv is in a better position to sustain its war effort than it was in late 2023, when Congress suspended assistance for months, the move would have cascading effects that will grow with time.“A U.S. cutoff will eventually have a major impact, especially if European states don’t undertake a crash effort to help Ukraine,” said Professor Phillips O’Brien, an international relations scholar at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.A former official in the Biden Administration said Ukraine had enough key munitions to last into the summer because of the surge in deliveries the U.S. made before President Biden left office — shipments that included artillery rounds, rockets and armored vehicles to Ukraine. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss private arrangements.Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Mr. Zelensky, said the country had weathered suspensions of U.S. military aid in the past and that Ukraine was engaging in a comprehensive audit of it stockpiles, “examining what we have, what can be produced through partnerships, and what can be replaced.”At the same time, he said, officials in Kyiv were working to restore relations with the Trump administration,As for the European efforts on Kyiv’s behalf, the Trump administration appeared determined to play down those as well.Vice President JD Vance warned Ukraine’s allies in Europe that they were only prolonging a losing cause by pledging to support Ukraine.“Sometimes you will have European heads of state who in public will puff up their chests and say, ‘We’re in it with President Zelensky for the next 10 years’,” Mr. Vance told Fox News Monday night. “And then in private, they will pick up the phone and say, ‘This can’t go on forever. He has to come to the negotiating table’.”Later, speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, the vice president encouraged Mr. Zelensky to engage in private discussions to help end the war.“We need the Ukrainians privately to come to us and say, ‘This is what we need. This is what we want. This is how we are going to participate in the process to end this conflict,’” Mr. Vance said. “That is the most important thing. And that lack of private engagement is what is most concerning to us.”Despite the increasing tension with the Trump administration, some Ukrainians held out hope that the relationship between Kyiv and Washington could be salvaged.The Ukrainian parliament issued a statement directed at Mr. Trump, offering effusive praise and gratitude while imploring the administration to not abandon the country as it fights for its survival as an independent nation.“We are convinced that the security and stable development of our nation are ensured by the unwavering support of the United States and reflect the values that have been the foundation of America’s historic success, inspiring millions of Ukrainians,” the lawmakers wrote.Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said his government would do everything to maintain diplomatic ties with Washington and was prepared to sign an agreement granting America extraordinary access to Ukraine’s natural resources.“This agreement has been approved by the government of Ukraine,” he said at a news conference. “We are ready to begin this cooperation at any moment.”Ukraine worked diligently during the Biden administration to maintain bipartisan support in the U.S., hoping that courtship would influence Mr. Trump.But soldiers and civilians alike have been bracing for this moment.“Just as we start wearing them down, our weapons supplies get cut off,” said Jr. Lt. Oleh, a soldier fighting around Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine. Referring to the U.S., he added: “This has happened before. For some reason, they don’t want to let Russia lose this war.”Reporting was contributed by Robert Jimison, Liubov Sholudko, Kim Barker, Jeanna Smialek and Stephen Castle.
