KYIV, Ukraine, March 4, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainians were furious and in shock on Tuesday following a decision by US President Donald Trump to suspend military aid to Kyiv, saying the move played into the Kremlin's hands.

Denys Kazansky, a Ukrainian media commentator said that while Washington had paused military aid to Kyiv "North Korea and Iran did not stop military aid to Russia".

Both Moscow-allied countries have provided critical military support to the Russian military since the Kremlin launched its fully-fledged invasion in February 2022.

"We live in a reality where the United States has become an ally of North Korea, Russia and Iran and it is helping them carry out aggression against a European country," Kazansky added on social media.

Igor Romanenko, a military analyst who previously served in the Ukrainian army, said European countries would probably continue to support Kyiv but that aid would not make up for the loss of US military supplies.

"That is why we must rely on our own strength and reserves. This does not mean that we should despair," he said in an interview with local media.

He was optimistic that Washington would not halt aid entirely but said it was unclear what kind of aid Ukraine might be able to rely on, saying: "no one knows yet."

Sergiy Takhmazov, a member of the Ukrainian military, questioned how long Ukrainian would be able to hold out without US support for air defence systems and intelligence sharing.

"All those who demand peace from us ignore that the price of our peace will be higher than the price of our war," said Pavlo Kazarin, a journalist and commentator who joined the military.

Iryna Gerashchenko, an opposition lawmaker in the Ukrainian parliament said Kyiv needed to repair ties with Washington.

"Despite everything, we have to resume communications with the United States," she wrote on social media.