Finland’s top diplomat talks about the fatigue in the Western bloc after more than 2 years of supporting Ukraine in dealing with Russia.
Western countries are tired after more than two years of supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia and are increasingly hopeful that the conflict can be resolved, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said.
“That is true. And increasingly so,” the Financial Times stressed, citing Ms. Valtonen’s comments about the West’s fatigue with the war in Ukraine.
In addition, the NATO country’s diplomat said that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has diverted both attention and aid resources from Ukraine.
“There is support for Ukraine, but how much is enough? That is the question. Quite a few countries are thinking about that, especially when the war in the Middle East is threatening to break out. It would be good if we could find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine,” she added.
The Russia-Ukraine war will enter its third year in a few months, but so far the two sides have not found a common voice to negotiate an end to the conflict.
So far, Kiev has continued to emphasize President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “peace formula” as the basis for resolving the conflict with Russia. This is a list of 10 points, including a provision requiring Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Russia has dismissed any talk of a peace formula as futile and pointless. In June, President Vladimir Putin outlined a series of conditions for a ceasefire with Ukraine, including recognition of Russia’s claims to certain territories, the de-fascization of Kiev and the rejection of any legally binding NATO membership for Ukraine.
Speaking on October 11 during a visit to Germany, President Zelensky said Ukraine had a plan to win the war with Russia, expressing hope that the conflict would end “by next year, 2025 at the latest”.
“More than any other country in the world, Ukraine wants a fair and quick end to this war. The war is destroying our country, taking the lives of our people,” Mr. Zelensky added.
Mr Zelensky has been seeking new military and financial aid from European allies amid concerns about waning support if former President Donald Trump wins next month’s US presidential election .
Late last month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov admitted that Kiev was almost entirely dependent on Western military support to continue fighting Russia.
“We deal with weapons and military equipment with our colleagues from the US, Europe, the Security Assistance Group – Ukraine, the International Donor Coordination Center… These are procurement and logistics contracts. We depend on our partners for more than 80%,” he said.
Mr Umerov’s revelation about Ukraine’s dependence on Western military aid comes after Mr Zelensky repeatedly criticized NATO partners for failing to provide all the weapons Kiev needs to counter Russia. He also blamed the West for delays in delivering aid that have cost Ukraine huge losses.