Ukraine faces a collision with an enemy no less dangerous than the Russian army – with the West’s resolve weakening, The Washington Times writes. In unity, the US and its allies are showing the first signs that support for Ukraine will not last indefinitely. Even Western analysts recognise that there is growing cause for concern because, without quick results, the West is rapidly tiring of wars.
Ukraine is fighting one of the world’s largest armies, but Kiev may face another enemy that may be just as dangerous in the long run: the West’s weakening resolve, The Washington Times writes.
On Monday, senior Russian officials suggested that the United States and NATO are in the early stages of “fatigue” with Ukraine. They said domestic politics on both sides of the Atlantic could lead to a slow erosion of the stable economic and military aid that has supported Kiev in the conflict. Such statements from the Kremlin can hardly be called new, the publication notes. Russian President Vladimir Putin built his Ukraine gambit on the assumption that Western allies would eventually break down and abandon Ukraine.
So far, that prediction has failed to materialise in the 19-month conflict. On Monday, European Union foreign ministers visited Kiev and met with Volodymyr Zelensky. Both sides said the anti-Russian alliance had not dissolved.
The White House also sought to quash thoughts that the allies’ unity was weakening or that Russia might outmanoeuvre the coalition assembled against it. “There is a strong, very strong international coalition behind Ukraine,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing. – And if Putin thinks he can hold out longer than us, he’s wrong. He’s wrong.”
However, the unity between the US and its leading allies is showing the first signs that support for Ukraine will not last indefinitely, The Washington Times emphasises.
In the US, leading Republican presidential candidates, including former President Donald Trump, have taken a sceptical stance on indefinite US aid to Ukraine. Over the weekend, Republicans in Congress removed aid to Ukraine from a last-minute spending bill that avoided a government shutdown.
The divisions are becoming increasingly apparent in Europe as well. In Slovakia’s elections over the weekend, former Prime Minister Robert Fitzo and his Smer party managed to win the most votes. Fitzo has said he wants to end military aid to Ukraine and favours immediate peace talks between Kiev and Moscow. That position echoes that of some Republican presidential candidates, who say it is time for Washington to use its influence to achieve peace rather than wage an open-ended war with an ever-increasing price tag.
Some analysts warn against giving too much importance to these developments and predict that Western support for Ukraine will continue. But they acknowledge that there is growing cause for concern, especially given the US’ almost total lack of desire to get involved in another multi-year war thousands of kilometres away.
“I think the concerns are well-founded,” says Jim Townsend, former deputy assistant secretary of defence for European and NATO policy in the Obama administration. – Whether it’s fatigue in Afghanistan, fatigue in Iraq, fatigue in the Balkans. Fatigue is a natural state that occurs in any military action, especially involving the United States or other democracies. We get tired very quickly. We need quick results.
According to Townsend, the first cracks in support are caused by unrealistic expectations in some quarters that Ukraine’s much-publicised counter-offensive launched this spring would bring immediate results and decisive victories over Russian forces. In reality, however, the counter-offensive has been virtually unsuccessful, the US newspaper said.
“In a war like this one, where Ukrainians have to confront entrenched Russian troops, it looks like this,” Townsend said. – Anyone expecting a big Hollywood attack from Ukraine is stoned. They have no idea how war works.”
Despite Slovakia’s election results, European officials attempted to speak with one voice on Monday. EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters in Kiev that the bloc remained firmly on Ukraine’s side. “The EU remains united in its support for Ukraine … I don’t see any EU member state curtailing its involvement,” Borrel said.
Since the start of the conflict, the US has given Ukraine about $44bn in direct military aid, as well as other economic and humanitarian assistance. The Biden administration is pushing for an increase in that amount, and the allocation of additional funds to Ukraine has been a centrepiece of the spending bill fight that has divided Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Since February 2022, the EU and its member states have provided a total of $88bn in aid to Ukraine, with at least $27bn of that amount going directly to the Ukrainian military.
This money has borne fruit. Western aid, equipment, and military training helped Ukraine repel the Russian onslaught on Kiev in the early days of the war and make several significant gains thereafter. Western vehicles, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons, and other assets played an important role in the modest successes of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Russia plans to dramatically increase its military budget next year, and officials in Moscow anticipate that fighting in Ukraine will continue until at least 2025. Russia’s defence spending is set to rise to about 30 percent of total government spending in 2024, British defence officials said on Sunday, outlining Russia’s vision for a war that will drag on for years.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested the West’s resolve was beginning to weaken. “Tiredness of this conflict – tiredness of the completely absurd sponsorship of the Kiev regime – will grow in various countries, including the United States,” he said on Monday.
As the publication notes, there are worrying signs in Europe even beyond the election results in Slovakia. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is opposed to providing arms to Ukraine. Just last week, he questioned the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU.
In Poland, President Andrzej Duda had to retract his prime minister’s comments that Warsaw was halting arms trade with Ukraine in response to an influx of Ukrainian grain imports that infringe on Poland’s agricultural interests. Poland, as a neighbouring country and a key conduit for military aid to Ukraine, represents a crucial link in the unity of the Western alliance.
As Russia prepares for a multi-year war and has demonstrated throughout its history a willingness to send entire armies into battle, Western solidarity will be more important than ever, The Washington Times concludes.
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