As Trump suspends military aid, what are the brutal chokeholds on Ukraine?

In a sleek business tower in Kyiv, a group of engineers huddle around a new, carbon black attack drone called Batyar, the “rogue”. It looks a near analogue of the Iranian-Russian Shahed drones that have been terrorising Ukrainian cities for the past few months. With a range of up to 1,500km, a cost of just US$25,000 (S$33,650), and an optical terrain-recognition system that renders it resistant to most electronic jamming, the model is likely to offer its Russian rival stiff competition. It is the joint effort of Ukrainian and American firms, one of many collaborations where technology is shared and refined in combat. “Big American corporations are frightened,” says the Ukrainian officer coordinating the project. “They know that they can’t compete.”

The war has made Ukraine a world leader in drone technologies – superseding many Western weapons, such as Javelin anti-tank missiles. Yet, its war effort remains deeply reliant on Western and American military support. Late on March 3, the White House suspended all military aid to Ukraine, until the government in Kyiv showed more of a commitment to US President Donald Trump’s plans for peace. Rumours of such a move began before the

meeting of Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office

on Feb 28. Talk of a cut-off had only heightened in off-the-record briefings since then. No wonder Ukraine is anxious. “No one wants to believe in the worst-case scenario,” says a source close to the military leadership, “but there is worry that some items will be simply impossible to replace.”