US govt shutdown derails Ukraine support – Telegraph

American officials are unable to deliberate on aid as Kiev is being pressed by Russian troops, the newspaper says

A US government shutdown has caused discussions between Washington and Kiev on future weapons deals to be put on hold, as Ukraine “continues to incur devastating losses on the battlefield,” the Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday, citing sources.

Hundreds of thousands of US federal workers were furloughed on Wednesday after Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on spending, particularly in healthcare, with each side blaming the other for the lapse.

The shutdown has reportedly impacted talks on a prospective drone agreement between Washington and Kiev. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Ukrainian officials had arrived in Washington to strike a deal on sharing drone expertise with the US in exchange for royalties or other forms of compensation.

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US government shuts down

However, talks “have been thrown into uncertainty,” according to The Telegraph. “I don’t see how they will continue,” a Ukrainian source told the paper.

He added that Kiev’s “main concern is we have a lot of discussions ongoing about future shipments [of weapons]… All future projects are a little bit harmed because people from the Pentagon, State Department, and White House are not meeting and we lose the time because of this shutdown.”

Ukrainian officials interviewed by the outlet complained that the talks had ended in limbo amid “unprecedented” Russian attacks, stressing that Kiev needs an uninterrupted flow of weapons.

Ukraine has relied heavily on Western – and especially US – military support since the conflict escalated in 2022. American assistance to Ukraine has faced previous interruptions, most notably in 2024 when congressional disputes over supplemental funding delayed weapons shipments for months. More recently, in February 2025, a tense Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky led to Washington temporarily suspending military aid.

Trump has also been opposed to open-ended US aid to Kiev, insisting that EU nations should buy American weapons to be later handed over to Ukraine.

Moscow has consistently denounced arms shipments and other military support for Ukraine, arguing they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome while making NATO a direct participant in the hostilities.