The collapse of U.S. support for Ukraine under President Donald Trump could prove “devastating” for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Europe is incapable of providing the same level of technology and intel, CNN was warned on Saturday.
In an article analyzing what Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia might look like going forward without U.S. support to back it up, CNN senior news reporter Lauren Kent acknowledged that while the United Kingdom and the European Union had stepped up financially since Trump paused all U.S. aid to Ukraine last year, Zelensky’s European allies would be incapable of taking over from Washington, D.C. in several key areas.
Europe Has Increased Monthly Aid to Ukraine, But It’s Simply Not Enough
The Romanian Army’s 74th Patriot Regiment conducted the country’s first PATRIOT missile system live-fire exercise at the Capu Midia test firing range in Romania Nov. 14-15, 2023. Romania received the first of seven PATRIOT systems in 2020 through a foreign military sales case executed by the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command. (Courtesy photo)
KOROR, Palau — A Patriot Advanced Capability 2 Interceptor missile is fired from an M903 Patriot Launching Station assigned to Battery D, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment during the patriot live fire portion of Exercise Tenacious Archer 25 on Aug. 21, 2025. Exercise Tenacious Archer 25 is a training event designed to build interoperability, capacity, and relationships that deter aggression and promote peace through strength. The exercise sharpens the brigade’s ability to operate across multiple domains, reinforcing U.S. Army Pacific’s commitment to regional security and stability.(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Frank Spatt)
While Europe can’t take over several roles from the U.S., the European Union has increased its average monthly aid to Ukraine by nearly $2 billion since Trump paused the United States’ own payments in January 2025.
However, despite the increase, that figure is still significantly less than the total aid provided by both the U.S. and the European Union under former President Joe Biden.
Ukraine Has Run Out of American Interceptors and the European Union Has No Equivalent
Europe has struggled to fully pick up the slack from Trump’s pause on aid to Ukraine, but at least it has money to give.
American Patriot interceptors, on the other hand, are in U.S. hands — and Ukraine ran out of them last week.
While additional missiles have already been paid for, and the White House has agreed to grant Ukraine a license to produce them itself, Zelenskyy has accused Trump of delaying their delivery, leaving the country partially undefended from Russian strikes.
“The American side approved the delivery of only some of them, but not the rest. And this is not a technical issue,” complained Zelensky this month.
While Europe has American Patriot missiles, with several countries co-manufacturing them with the U.S., it does not produce an equivalent, and the Pentagon strictly controls exports.
“This is something Europeans don’t have, and they don’t have it because we [the United States] have told them for the last 30 years not to develop it… because they can rely on us,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies director Max Bergmann told CNN. “We’re in a situation where America is proving to everyone in Europe that it simply can’t be relied upon.”
Bergmann warned that a lack of interceptors “could be really devastating” for Ukraine, resulting in “tremendous loss of civilian life,” huge economic damage, and a further exodus of Ukrainians from Ukrainian soil.
Europe Has No Replacement For Starshield
Ukraine’s European allies are also unable to provide a replacement for U.S. intelligence and SpaceX Starshield — Elon Musk’s Pentagon-controlled satellite system, which the Ukrainian military has been relying on for both air defenses and drone strikes.
This month, Ukraine publicly protested that its Starshield connection had slowed, severely hampering its operations.
As of Sunday, service seems to have been fully restored, after a messy back-and-forth among various parties over how the service would be used and who cut speeds.
Trump’s Relationship With Zelensky, Already on the Rocks, Completely Collapsed In Recent Weeks
While Trump’s relationship with Zelensky had already been on the rocks for years, it completely collapsed in recent weeks, with the president publicly calling for his Ukrainian counterpart to be replaced.
“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does,” said Trump. “You’ve lost 30% of your country, and you’ve had over a million people killed… That’s a war that should have never started, and I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
The president made the remarks after Ukraine continued to bomb Russian oil facilities despite Trump’s repeated requests for the country not to do so to prevent oil prices in the U.S. and the world from continuing to skyrocket.
About the Author: Charlie Nash
Charlie Nash is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Spectator, Mediaite, New Statesman, and the American Conservative, among other major publications. The Washington Post, Fox News, the Daily Beast, MS NOW, NewsNation, Hannity, and more have featured his reporting. You can follow Charlie on X at @CharlieNash and on LinkedIn.
