Germany sees no major cut in US aid to Ukraine despite Trump remarks

The United States has not cut back on its support for Ukraine, despite recent criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by President Donald Trump, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in Berlin on Wednesday.

"I do not see any substantial reduction in American support for Ukraine," he said at a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, Velislava Petrova-Tchamova. Wadephul expressed confidence that the US would continue to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Kiev was again targeted by Russian ballistic missiles overnight. Zelensky complained that Ukraine's allies had once again failed to provide advance warning of the attacks, without explicitly naming the US.

The US administration has denied allegations that it has stopped sharing military intelligence with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, people close to Zelensky have accused the operator of the US satellite internet system Starlink of restricting services important to the Ukrainian military. This had led to the failure of several military missions, presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said.

Starlink is a subsidiary of SpaceX, which is controlled by Elon Musk.

Wadephul said he could not verify these reports and that Germany was in contact with Ukraine, but he added that the US was right to press for talks between Russia and Ukraine.

The foreign minister said Europe stood firmly alongside Ukraine and wanted to do everything possible to ensure that such talks could take place as soon as possible. There was no lack of willingness to negotiate on the part of Ukraine or of Europe, he said.

Trump recently stated that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and that Zelensky needed to be persuaded to want one as well. Trump said he believed Putin was more interested than Zelensky in striking a deal.

Also on Wednesday, the European Union disbursed €2.86 ($3.20 billion) in military aid to Ukraine. Kiev will use the latest payment to fund drones, air defence systems, missiles, radars, electronic warfare systems and ammunitions, the European Commission said in a press release.

The funding is part of the EU's €90 billion loan for Kiev for the years 2026 and 2027. Ukraine's defence will be supported with a total of up to €60 billion under the loan, while €30 billion are earmarked as economic support.

"As Russia stalls on the frontlines, it continues to escalate its aerial attacks - cruelly targeting Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Further payments are due to follow in the coming weeks, the commission said.