The United States has already confirmed its intention to abandon Ukraine to its fate, while Europe helps more in words than in deeds, writes the British newspaper The Telegraph, quoted by the UNIAN agency.
The publication notes that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed at a congressional hearing the Trump administration's intention to reduce military aid to Ukraine. The fight against Russia is now Europe’s problem.
During the full-scale war launched by Russia, Ukraine received approximately $74 billion in military aid from the United States, including valuable systems such as the Patriot missile defense system, ATACMS ballistic missiles and HIMARS rocket artillery systems.
The bitter result for Kiev is that its most powerful and wealthy ally has abandoned it. Fortunately for Ukraine, European leaders have repeatedly promised to commit to giving Ukraine what it needs to fight. But in practice, Europe seems to be making more promises than it is fulfilling, writes The Telegraph.
The best thing Europeans can do now is to finance the production of weapons in Ukraine itself, the publication notes. In terms of the production of military drones, Ukraine is simply astronomically ahead of its partners. The Ukrainian army still has one big problem – and it is about mobilizing manpower for the front.
There is no doubt that Ukraine has the industrial capacity and tactical imagination to create its own formidable defense. Indeed, by many measures, the Ukrainian army is not only the largest but also the best-equipped on the European continent, with the exception of Russia. But Ukraine also has deep vulnerabilities lower down the defense procurement totem pole when it comes to the essential elements of war, from artillery shells to bullets and spare parts. And the most pressing military and political problem of all is the looming chronic shortage of front-line men.
The profound irony is that much of the Kremlin’s lavish defense spending is financed directly by Europe itself, which is expected to spend over €20 billion buying oil, gas, coal and uranium from Russia by 2025. As Europe continues to spend more on Putin's military machine than on Ukraine, its promises to support Kiev for as long as necessary ring hollow, the British newspaper points out.