Ukraine's front 'could collapse in six months' without US support, officials fear as Russian troops launch wave of 'suicidal missions' in scramble for territory after Trump military aid bombshell

Ukraine's front could collapse within just six months, officials fear, as Russian forces are dispatching masses of troops across the Dnipro river on high-casualty missions in a suicidal attempt to gain Ukrainian territory for future peace negotiations. 

Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson region in Ukraine, said that Vladimir Putin's army was trying to cross the key river in four locations to bolster their claim over the entire oblast, as Trump last night stunned NATO allies by pausing US military aid to Ukraine in an effort to pile pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war on his terms.

Prokudin told the Guardian: 'We heard from our intelligence, that the Russian deputy commander told troops in the area that they had to force the river at any cost, though not all the soldiers are willing to do that.' 

'The Russians completely understand it is a suicidal mission,' the governor said, claiming that documents recovered from fallen Russian soldiers showed the casualties ranged from new recruits to battle-hardened soldiers who have fought for over two years.

He added that his understanding was that Putin's forces in the region have been told 'they have to make the right [western] bank part of the negotiation' by taking over at least one village, though so far they have failed in this endeavour. 

Lieutenant-General Ihor Romanenko, former first deputy of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Al Jazeera last month 'we will last six months' without American military aid. 

He added that he didn't believe Europe had the capacity to step up in America's place.

Nikolai Mitrokhin, a researcher at the University of Bremen (Germany), backed this up, saying that that current US supplies if used sparingly, could not last beyond 'mid-summer' or 'autumn.'

Russia has expended thousands of troops for the sake of territory, and had made large strides in the Kherson region. 

While its army nearly completely captured the region in the early stages of the war, it was forced to retreat in November 2022 due to supply issues.  

But since peace negotiations between Russia and the US, which have largely sidelined Ukraine, opened last month, Russian forces have been attacking the the Kherson villages of Lvove and Zmiivka, the marshy islands at the mouth of the Dnipro and the Antonivka road and rail bridges east of Kherson city to press for a claim on the whole region. 

Russian forces have also been getting more aggressive elsewhere, as overnight drone strikes hit civilians, leaving a children's clinic in Sumy, northeast Ukraine, damaged. 

Some neighbourhoods lost power and two hospitals were forced to use back-up generators.

In Odesa, four people were injured as residential buildings and two nursery schools were hit.

Ukraine hit Syzran Oil Refinery where several loud explosions preceded a giant inferno.

In Rostov region, Ukraine hit the Kuibyshev-Lysychansk main oil pipeline which supplies the military and civilian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea.

Overnight, a White House official said: 'The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.'

The decision casts doubt over Ukraine's ability to continue to defending itself against Russian invaders. It is understood the 'pause' will extend to undelivered aid already earmarked for Ukraine by the Biden administration. 

A second official told Fox News that 'this is not permanent termination of aid, it's a pause'. All military equipment not currently in Ukraine will be halted and all future aid is now in jeopardy.

Trump's manipulation of the war followed an abrupt post warning that 'America will not put up with it for much longer' on Monday after Zelensky had suggested the end of the war is still 'very, very far away'.

Zelensky had spoken after a summit in London on Sunday, with 18 allies joining to offer Ukraine security guarantees and reify their support. British PM Keir Starmer said a 'coalition of the willing' would come together to present a viable peace plan to Trump.

But Zelensky's warning was met with ire in Washington, where Trump's inner circle branded the comment 'evil'.

'This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer,' an infuriated Trump posted on his Truth Social website after upping the pressure on Kyiv to end the war.

Trump also questioned Zelensky's commitment to peace, saying that he 'doesn't want there to be peace as long as he has America's backing'. He also hinted that Zelensky might not be Ukrainian president much longer. 

The strong-arm move from Trump to 'pause' US military supplies to Ukraine leaves Zelensky's defences facing peril because it will stop vital arms such as Patriot air defence missiles.

US President Trump hinted during a press conference on Monday that Zelensky might not survive long as Ukrainian president if he continued to make demands ahead of a peace deal.

'It should not be that hard a deal to make,' Trump told reporters at the White House.

'It could be made very fast. Now, maybe somebody doesn't want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn't want to make a deal, I think that person won't be around very long. That person will not be listened to very long.'

He also slated Europe's effort to fill the void where the U.S. said it would withdraw support for Ukraine.

Trump accused the UK-led 'coalition of the willing' of being weak for relying on an American backstop for peace - after his administration praised the UK for pledging to lift its defence spending.

Trump said following the summit: 'It is what I was saying, this guy doesn't want there to be peace as long as he has America's backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelensky, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S.'

Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz warned in an interview on FOX News Channel's America's Newsroom on Monday morning that the days of unlimited support from America to Ukraine were over.

'The American people's patience is not unlimited, their wallets are not unlimited and our stockpiles and munitions are not unlimited,' he said. 'The time to talk is now.'

Since the announcement last night, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a 'Rearm Europe' plan that could unlock up to €800billion (£661.59billion) in additional defence spending over the coming years. 

The plans, sent to national governments on Tuesday morning, would include the ability for EU countries to draw on up to €150billion in loans. 

The European Commission leader said today: 'Europe is ready to massively boost its defense spending, both to respond to the short term urgency to act and to support Ukraine, but also to address the long term need to take on more responsibility for our own European security.'