Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces could hold the situation together on the battlefield as they fight Russian troops despite a pause in U.S. military aid, and that it hoped to continue working with Washington pragmatically.

Trump's decision to pause aid may, to many in Ukraine and beyond, seem petulant. But there is also clearly a political aim to force them to the negotiating table sooner. The hope among European allies is that it will just be a pause. Without US support, Ukraine will find it an even harsher struggle for survival.

Experts say that Ukraine and its European partners now produce most of the weaponry destined for the battlefield. But there are crucial American systems that Kyiv will struggle to replace.