In the context of decreasing military aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the conflict between this Eastern European country and Russia will not end.
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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing a reduction in military aid from allies as the conflict with Russia approaches its second anniversary. (Source: Bloomberg) |
AFP news agency reported that, answering reporters' questions about whether the conflict with Russia could end next year, Mr. Zelensky said: "No one knows the answer. Even respected people, commanders and our Western partners... do not know."
According to the Ukrainian leader, he has rejected the military's request to mobilize up to 500,000 Ukrainians to supplement the army, saying it is a "very sensitive" issue and requires additional financial resources.
Mr Zelensky's meeting with domestic and foreign journalists capped a difficult year in Ukraine, with Kiev's forces under pressure on the front line while allies wavered in their military and financial support after nearly two years of conflict.
The question of how long Western countries will provide vital support to Kiev is becoming increasingly urgent. Last week, Mr Zelensky embarked on a tour of Western countries to appeal for more military and political support.
However, the Ukrainian President has failed to convince the US Congress to immediately approve $60 billion in aid, while in the European Union (EU), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blocked an aid package of about 50 billion euros ($55 billion).
Earlier, at a press conference on December 18, White House spokesman John Kirby said that US resources to support Ukraine have been exhausted and without a decision by Congress to allocate more money, Washington will not be able to support Kiev.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that on December 19, the US Senate announced that it would not vote on the next aid package for Ukraine and to strengthen US border security before early 2024, when negotiators from the Democratic and Republican parties return to work.
However, recently, Ukraine also received good news when Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said he would sign the 8th military aid package for Ukraine, after submitting it to the Parliamentary Security Committee (Copasir).
According to Kiel University, which tracks military aid to Ukraine, Italy has sent 1.3 billion euros ($1.42 billion) worth of assistance to Kiev – including 700 million euros in military shipments – ranking 15th in the list of donor countries.
The new aid package would be the third approved under the administration of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who took office in October 2022.
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