Russia: Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin has stated that Ukraine could not survive for more than “a week” if Western military and financial aid stopped. Mr. Putin made the claim on the same day as a European Union official warned that the bloc could not deal with the funding gap if support for Kyiv from the United States ends.
Recently, US President Mr. Joe Biden admitted that he “does worry” that US support for Ukraine might get derailed.
At a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank, Mr. Putin said that Ukraine was being propped up “thanks to multi-billion-dollar donations that come each month”. “If one just stops, it will all die in a week. The same applies to the defence system. Just imagine the aid stops tomorrow. It will live for only a week when they run out of ammo,” the Russian President stated.
Mr. Putin also noted that Ukraine had lost more than 90,000 troops since Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russian forces began in June. Recently, EU foreign policy chief Mr. Josep Borrell said the EU could not replace the US as Kyiv’s primary donor.
The military aid from EU and the US is considered vital in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. The EU and its member states have promised more than $100 billion in multi-year support to Ukraine, including financing weapon deliveries. Washington has committed $43 billion in military assistance, while Congress has approved $113 billion, which includes humanitarian aid.
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