View from UAE: Ukrainian fears

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba feeds Secretary of State Blinken in Kyiv at McDonald's. High level reception!
Photo: AFP

Ukraine began to fear that the West, led by the United States, would turn its back on it due to the internal crisis engulfing America, notes ‘Al Khaleej’ from UAE.

Some Republicans in Congress refused to approve funding for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and several European countries were worried. Europe seems to have become disillusioned with its endless support for Kyiv, because it never got the desired result. EU is also concerned about the security threats that the Old Continent may face as a result of the conflict that has erupted in its very heart. And there is no prospect of stopping the fighting in the near future.

Kyiv has been vocal about weakening support, which could affect the course of the fighting. Indeed, we see Russia making progress on most fronts, while Ukrainian forces are clearly retreating after the momentum for the “counteroffensive” has waned.

In recent months, Kyiv has demonstrated its inability to achieve new victories. This, in general, explains why the West is dissatisfied with the poor results that the Ukrainians have achieved, despite the fact that the United States and Europe have poured tens of billions of dollars into the Ukrainian Armed Forces and provided them with high-quality weapons.

The West still clings to the idea of defeating Russia in Ukraine. But in some countries, movements have emerged that are starting to make a fuss about identifying their governments with the one in Kyiv – this could primarily harm European countries.

In the United States, which is Ukraine's most vocal supporter, there are sharp divisions over the amount of aid provided. The upcoming presidential election casts a shadow on the candidacy of Trump, who has vowed to cut off aid. In addition, his cronies in Congress, contrary to Biden’s wishes, suspended funding for Ukraine.

The problem is not limited to Washington. Several parties in Europe are very skeptical about funding for Ukraine. There are disagreements in Brussels over contributions to the bloc and agreement on the budget, which provides for the allocation of an additional aid package to Kyiv worth 50 billion euros.

All this worries Zelensky. He assured the leaders of the G7 member states that Putin was counting on a “collapse” of Western support for Ukraine. According to Zelensky, the Russian army “has significantly increased pressure at the front, believing that America and Europe will show weakness and end by helping Ukraine.” This statement shows that the degree of control over the situation and the possible serious defeat cause him fears.

Ukraine has no other choice but to distance itself from the West, which dragged it into this conflict, and begin a direct dialogue with Russia. She needs to overcome her fears and make a decision that will end the conflict. Otherwise, the grueling conflict will continue, and Kyiv will definitely fail, ‘Al Khaleej’ stresses.

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