'I'm full of anger' — Ukraine awakes to a nightmare as US freezes military aid

Even in a country grimly accustomed to negative news, the headlines that Ukraine woke up to on March 4 still came as a shock — the U.S. is freezing military aid.

"It hurts to watch it unfolding," Volodymyr Dubovyk, the head of Odesa National University's Center for International Studies, told the Kyiv Independent.

"We can scrap everything that we previously knew about U.S. foreign policy."

U.S. President Donald Trump on March 3 reportedly ordered a suspension of all military aid to Ukraine, with a senior Defense Department official telling Bloomberg it is on hold until Trump determines that Ukrainian leaders are making a genuine effort toward peace.

Neither Washington nor Kyiv have officially confirmed the freeze. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the reports the Polish government gets from the Ukrainian-Polish border confirm the freeze.

The move is the latest from the White House as it escalates pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky, just days after a heated exchange in the Oval Office cast doubt on U.S. support for Kyiv, and ended in the canceling of a planned mineral deal between the two countries.

The Trump administration's strong arm tactics against Zelensky are being felt especially painfully in Ukraine as the Kremlin appears to be getting a free ride from a White House which — by the Kremlin's own admission — is now largely aligned with Russia's interests.

"It looks as if Trump is trying to cut a deal with Russia at the cost of the weaker party, which is Ukraine," Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker and chair of the parliament's foreign affairs policy, told the Kyiv Independent.

"I don’t see that Trump is using leverage against the aggressor, he is using leverage against the victim of the aggression. To stop military aid to Ukraine right now means to help Russia kill Ukrainians with impunity."

Trump has long-promised he could swiftly end the war in Ukraine as soon as he took office, though his original pledge of "24 hours" was amended to "100 days" shortly before his inauguration.

During his first week in office, Trump appeared to come out on the side of Ukraine, putting the onus on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and threatening "high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions" if he didn't "make a deal."

But in the weeks since, and after a phone call between Trump and Putin, the rhetoric coming from the White House towards Ukraine has been increasingly hostile and has, at times, resembled that coming from the Kremlin.

Trump has described Zelensky as a "dictator" and questioned his legitimacy, with some Republican lawmakers this week calling for him to resign.

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, lawmaker for the Holos (Voice) party, told the Kyiv Independent that even though the tone has changed, he believes Trump's more recent actions still align with his original stated goal of ending the war swiftly — but regardless of the cost for Ukraine.

"I think that it’s a continuation of Trump’s policy to end the war as soon as possible by effectively giving up on Ukraine’s interests," he said.

"Because based on the logic of his and his administration’s statements, their goal is peace at any cost. But for Ukraine, such an option is not acceptable."

The directive to freeze U.S. military aid reportedly goes into effect immediately, impacting over $1 billion in weapons and ammunition.

The pause affects not only future aid but also weapons already in transit, including shipments on aircraft and ships, as well as equipment awaiting transfer in Poland.

"I'm full of anger," ‘Bart,’ a Special Operations Forces sniper fighting in the hot spot near Pokrovsk, told the Kyiv Independent.

"America has sided with Russia, North Korea, and Iran, they have chosen the side of darkness. If the U.S. has chosen to play the role of world policeman, it is its duty to protect world democracy."

Yet despite the anger and the future of weapons supplies in doubt, Ukrainian soldiers who spoke to the Kyiv Independent remain confident in their ability to fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion.

"There is no panic in the army," "Fuko" who serves with Ukraine's 66th Prince Mstyslav Khorobyi Brigade said, adding: "We are ready to keep going as long as it takes.

"Moreover, the weapons supply crisis can be avoided if our European allies respond quickly and help us with the supply of the most important weapons."

Bart acknowledged the aid freeze "will have some impact, but not a critical one."

"Europe is helping us, we will break through — Russia is running out of steam, and we need to push on," he added.

As Ukraine increasingly looks to Europe for support, there were signs on March 4 that Brussels was preparing to step up.

"We must urgently find an alternative because civilians will die if we run out of missiles."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the ReArm Europe plan aimed at strengthening the defense capabilities of the EU’s countries, which could unlock close to 800 billion euros ($842 billion).

"Europe is ready to assume its responsibilities," von der Leyen said, adding: "This is a moment for Europe and we are ready to step up."

Whether or not Europe can step up in time to fill the potential hole left by the U.S.' withdrawal remains to be seen, and Ukraine will be assessing which areas of its defense could be impacted the most.

"Our main challenge is air defense which depends on U.S. support," Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych told the Kyiv Independent.

"We must urgently find an alternative because civilians will die if we run out of missiles."

Krotevych added that the Trump administration needs to understand this too, otherwise they are "setting themselves up for prison sentences."

"When? Whether it happens after his current term or through impeachment is for the American people to decide," he added.