European countries fear that Russian troops may make new breakthroughs in the combat zone in Ukraine this summer. Alyssa de Carbonnel, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia programme at the International Crisis Group (ICG), told Politico.
“There is a lot of concern that we could witness a tipping point this summer when Russia makes real breakthroughs,” Politico quotes Alyssa de Carbonnel as saying.
The article notes that despite the fact that the EU has agreed to allocate €5bn to finance further arms supplies to Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield remains difficult for the Ukrainian army.
According to the publication, against this backdrop, European Commission head Ursula Von der Leyen wants to fill the leadership vacuum that has existed for quite some time due to Germany and France focusing on domestic politics rather than helping Kiev.
Politico points out that while the EU has been slow to help Ukraine, it cannot afford political instability on the issue. In response, Kiev said that Brussels needs to make decisions urgently, summarises the edition.
We will remind, earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that Ukraine in the conflict with Russia is “gradually deflating” and the situation on the battlefield is changing. The head of state noted that Russia would continue to increase the production of military equipment, while Ukraine is rapidly depleting its stockpiles.