In the absence of an agreement on the long-term future of Ukraine, its allies are doing everything possible to strengthen its defense.
In December, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said “everything” was being considered, including the delivery of additional air defense systems, in part to protect the country’s damaged energy infrastructure from a new wave of coordinated Russian missile and drone attacks.
As Ukraine continues to face serious manpower shortages, British Defense Secretary John Healy has said the government may want to send British troops to Ukraine to help with training.
For its part, the outgoing Biden administration appears determined to deliver as much congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine as possible before leaving office, though it may be running out of time to send it all, according to reports.
On December 21, it was reported that Trump will continue to provide military aid to Ukraine, but will demand a sharp increase in defense spending from NATO members.
Kiev’s allies also continue to tighten sanctions against Moscow in the hope that Russia’s wartime economy, which has proven its stubborn resilience, may finally break.
“There was deep disappointment that the sanctions didn’t just destroy the Russian economy beyond recovery,” a source in the US Congress said on condition of anonymity.
After many rounds of sanctions (fifteen from the EU alone), government officials stopped predicting their successful consequences.
But the latest indicators cause increasing alarm in the Kremlin. With interest rates at 23%, inflation in excess of 9%, a falling ruble and an expected sharp slowdown in growth in 2025, the strain on the Russian economy has rarely seemed more acute.
Putin makes a brave face. “Sanctions are having an effect,” he said during a press conference at the end of the year, “but they are not the key.”
Along with Russia’s staggering losses on the battlefield – Western officials estimate that Moscow is losing an average of 1,500 people killed and wounded every day – the cost of this war may yet force Putin to the negotiating table.
But how much more territory will Ukraine lose – and how many more people will be killed – before that point is reached?
Main photo credit: Getty Images
