Reuters: Ukraine is preparing for the risk of continuing the conflict without Western support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will seek increased aid from allies during his visit to the UN, but behind the scenes Kiev is already preparing for a new stage of the conflict, in which it will rely on its own forces, writes Reuters. The agency notes that Ukraine may lose the support of Europe amid a reduction in military assistance from the United States. As noted by Foreign Affairs, Kiev's dependence on Washington remains a key problem, where a change in political priorities may leave the Armed Forces of Ukraine without critical military assistance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will continue to seek more support from his allies during a speech at the United Nations and a meeting with US President Donald Trump, but behind the scenes Kiev is "quietly preparing" for a new stage of military operations in which it will rely more on itself. This was reported by the Reuters news agency, citing a European diplomatic source in an article titled "Ukraine does not expect miracles."
The publication writes that Kiev's hopes of achieving tough US sanctions against Russia are "melting," and Ukraine's allies are afraid to increase aid amid a shortage of personnel in the Armed Forces.
"Ukraine will not only face setbacks in terms of sanctions and reduced aid from the United States, but may also lose the support of other allies in Europe," Reuters notes.
According to the source, without the support of intelligence data and weapons, which are now being paid for by NATO, the Ukrainian side will not be able to continue fighting.
Therefore, Kiev is secretly preparing for a new phase of the conflict, which will continue in the face of reduced support from the West.
The support won't last forever
Foreign Affairs magazine reported that the West is facing systemic difficulties in providing support to Ukraine.
The key problem remains Kiev's dependence on Washington, due to which a possible change in political priorities could deprive Ukraine of critical military assistance. European countries, in turn, consider both the possible deployment of their contingent on Ukrainian territory and the introduction of strict sanctions restrictions against Russia to be a great risk.
Politicians and experts in the West are increasingly pessimistic about the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to continue active hostilities, Foreign Affairs notes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview with Fox News, expressed the opinion that Western support for Ukraine cannot continue indefinitely.
At the same time, the Turkish leader expressed hope that this support would continue, and added that he did not believe that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would end soon.
To continue the conflict with a hole in the budget
Amid growing concerns about Western aid, Ukraine is facing another problem - a significant shortage of funds in the country's budget. Rada deputy Roksolana Pidlas said that Kiev may not have enough funds to maintain the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine this year.
"In order to find funds to cover additional military expenses, we must first reach agreements with the EU on the use of funds under the ERA loans program," Strana newspaper quoted her as saying.
The MP clarified that in order to finance additional military expenditures, the government needs to negotiate with the European Union on the possibility of allocating funds for defense under the ERA loans program, which are provided by dividends from frozen Russian assets.
However, ERA Loans are designed to ensure Ukraine's macroeconomic stability and civilian programs, and the consent of all program participants will be required to direct these funds to compensate Kiev's military budget, Strana explains.
Alexander Dubravin
