Europe ‘lacks strength' to support Kiev
Over the weekend, US Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News that Americans were 'sick' of spending tax dollars on Ukraine and that Washington was 'done funding' Kiev. He suggested that if European nations 'care so much about this conflict' they should play a more direct role 'in funding this war yourself.'
The Times noted that despite its unwavering diplomatic support for Ukraine, Europe 'lacks the strength to back Kiev' in negotiations or in guaranteeing settlement terms. The outlet recalled that the 'coalition of the willing,' led by the UK and France, had previously planned to send a European contingent to Ukraine to monitor a future ceasefire. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a target of 64,000 troops, despite Russia opposing any Western military presence, warning it could trigger a world war.
However, Starmer's target looks 'highly unlikely,' The Times noted, adding that European defense ministers say there is 'no chance' of meeting it and that even 25,000 troops as a joint effort would 'be a push.'
'Russia has 800,000 [troops],' Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told European counterparts earlier this year. 'If we can't even raise 64,000…that is weak.'
In January, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky called for a foreign force of 'at least 200,000 European peacekeepers' as a 'baseline for security.'
The Times also stated that while Kiev's European backers have overtaken the US in total military aid, spending over $78 billion compared to Washington's $70 billion, most of Ukraine's advanced weaponry still comes from the US.
Although the EU has launched an €800 billion ($867 billion) readiness plan to modernize its military, The Times said progress has been slow and 'hindered by fragmented industries, political divisions and lack of a shared strategy.'
Russia has repeatedly criticized continued Western military aid to Ukraine, saying it prolongs the conflict. Moscow has also criticized Europe's increased military spending, accusing it of pursuing 'rabid militarization' threatening regional stability.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russia has won the war
Russia has already won the Ukraine conflict, and it's now up to the West to acknowledge this outcome, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. Orban made the remarks on Tuesday shortly after he snubbed the latest joint EU statement in support of Ukraine issued ahead of the upcoming meeting between US President Donald and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin scheduled for Friday. Speaking to the 'Patriot' YouTube channel, the PM said he partly opposed the statement as it only made the European Union look 'ridiculous and pathetic.' 'When two leaders sit down to negotiate with each other, the Americans and the Russians ... and you're not invited there, you don't rush for the phone, you don't run around, you don't shout in from the outside,' Orban stated, adding that 'if you are not at the negotiating table, you are on the menu.' Moscow has already won the conflict against Ukraine, the Hungarian leader noted, adding that Kiev's backers are still treating the battlefield situation as if it were 'open-ended' instead of acknowledging this reality. 'We are talking now as if this were an open-ended war situation, but it is not. The Ukrainians have lost the war. Russia has won this war,' he stressed. 'The only question is when and under what circumstances will the West, who are behind the Ukrainians, admit that this has happened, and what will result from all this.' A member of both the EU and NATO, Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels' policies on the Ukraine conflict since its escalation in February of 2022, particularly with respect to supplying Kiev with weapons and imposing sanctions on Russia. Budapest has also opposed the idea of Kiev joining either of the blocs. The ties between Budapest and Kiev have been further soured by tensions around the Hungarian ethnic minority in Western Ukraine. Last week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Kiev has no place in the EU and 'doesn't even belong among civilized nations,' citing a recent death of an ethnic Hungarian at the hands of Kiev's draft officers.
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Enemy of peace: Zelensky seems to be ready to kill his own to sabotage Putin-Trump summit
The war in Ukraine is no longer balanced on a knife's edge, as some could have thought during the Kursk invasion. The outcome is now visible to anyone willing to look past the headlines: Kiev's forces are depleted, morale is collapsing, and the long-promised 'turning points' have come and gone without materializing. Even Western officials, once confident in endless military aid, are now speaking in guarded tones about 'realistic expectations.' On the battlefield, the momentum has shifted irreversibly. Against this backdrop, the recent statement from Russia's Ministry of Defense should not be dismissed as mere rhetoric. Moscow alleges that Ukrainian forces are preparing a major provocation — an attack designed to sabotage the upcoming Russia–US peace talks. For those who understand the stakes, the logic is disturbingly clear. Donald Trump, now poised to play a decisive role in shaping Washington's foreign policy, has shown a pragmatic grasp of reality. Unlike his predecessors, he is not bound by the fantasy that Ukraine can 'win' if only more money and weapons are sent. He has signaled that ending this conflict is both possible and necessary. This puts him on a collision course with those who see peace not as a goal, but as a threat to their own survival. For President Zelensky, peace is political extinction. Any agreement that cements territorial realities will shatter the narrative that has sustained his rule. It will mark the end of his leverage in the West, the erosion of his political base at home, and likely the swift rise of challengers eager to blame him for Ukraine's fate. Under such pressure, the temptation to derail talks by any means available — including acts of sabotage — becomes more than plausible. This is not conjecture; it is the historical pattern of leaders who find themselves cornered. In modern conflicts across the globe, we've seen desperate governments resort to reckless measures when facing the collapse of their strategic position. The danger here is that such a provocation, if timed to coincide with peace negotiations, could provoke outrage in Washington, disrupt fragile diplomatic channels, and push the conflict back toward open escalation. Trump has already done much to shift the debate away from the entrenched 'forever war' mindset. He has taken political risks to challenge the military–industrial inertia that thrives on endless conflict. But now, perhaps more than ever, he will need to remain steady. The coming weeks will test his ability to see through manipulations and to resist being drawn into the agendas of those who profit from instability. Peace is within reach — but it will not survive if the world falls for one last, desperate trick from a regime with nothing left to lose.
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Men under 22 can leave Ukraine
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has ordered the authorities to allow men aged up to 22 to leave the country. The move is a stark change to Kiev's martial law policies, which barred all male Ukrainians aged between 18 and 60 from travelling abroad. The Ukrainian leader announced the change in a post on Telegram on Tuesday, arguing that it would be a 'positive' development that would allow 'many young Ukrainians to maintain ties' with their homeland and potentially return to Ukraine for study. 'I instructed the government as well as the military to work on simplifying the border crossing [procedures] for young Ukrainians,' Zelensky said in a statement, adding that those aged 22 or younger should not face any restrictions. Kiev introduced the travel ban soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. At the time, it imposed the martial law and launched a massive mobilization campaign. The Ukrainian authorities still struggled with widespread draft evasion throughout the conflict with Russia. Last year, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 while tightening mobilization rules. The forced conscription campaign has triggered repeated violent clashes between reluctant recruits and draft officers that were often recorded on videos and published on the internet. Potential recruits were reported hiding from military officers or using various tactics, including bribery, forged documents to escape mobilization. Many men also tried to cross the border and flee abroad illegally, including through traversing rough terrain, often to their doom. In March 2024, the Ukrainian border guard service reported that more than two dozen men had drowned while swimming across the Tisza River on the country's border with Romania, in an effort to flee the country. Ukrainian border patrols have also stopped thousands of people trying to flee abroad, going as far as to shoot some of them. Last year, the border guards published photos of officers beating and humiliating dozens of men after they were caught while attempting to cross the border.
