As the war approaches its two-year mark, Ukrainians are pleading with their allies to provide them with more funding to enable them to fight back against Russia, following a failed counteroffensive last year.
Those calls are competing for attention in the headlines with Israel’s war in Gaza, which Kyiv fears could work to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advantage.
Russia has all along been banking on eventual Western compassion fatigue for its neighbor, as officials have noted.
“According to our forecasts fatigue from this conflict, fatigue from the completely absurd sponsorship of the Kyiv regime will grow in various countries, including the United States,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov predicted in October. “And this fatigue will lead to the fragmentation of the political establishment and the growth of contradictions.”
As the politics plays out abroad, Ukrainians at home continue to endure the effects of the war, including what may amount to war crimes.
Kirill Chubotin/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Waning Support For Kyiv In The E.U. And The U.S.
The European Union’s plan to provide 50 billion euros (nearly $54.4 billion) in new aid for Ukraine through 2027 was blocked last month by a single E.U. leader, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbàn, a Putin ally. But leaders have pledged to find a way to get that money to Ukraine.
The E.U. is also working on a new sanctions package that it hopes to get passed before the war’s two-year anniversary on Feb. 24, which will target Russia’s ability to get around currently-existing sanctions.
In the U.S., House Republicans have made approving Ukraine aid conditional on enacting tighter restrictions on the U.S. border. While President Joe Biden has been trying to get Congress to agree to extend support for Kyiv, former President Donald Trump, the front-runner in the 2024 Republican primary, has been calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson not to back any funding package unless the White House grants all of the GOP’s demands on immigration policy.
Despite the apparent standstill, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that U.S. lawmakers will come around.
“I think it’s the matter of weeks,” he said through a translator during a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. “I have positive signals that Europe is supporting us, the countries of the European Union, and I believe we will also manage to solve the question regarding the aid in Congress.”
In his speech, Zelenskyy also sought to remind his country’s allies about why their support is so crucial, explaining once again what’s at stake in this war.
“If anyone thinks this is only about Ukraine, they’re fundamentally mistaken,” he said, noting that Russia could be incentivized to invade more countries if it succeeds there.