With another piece of territory lost to Russian forces, the Ukrainian president urgently needs weapons, not hero worship, from his Western allies.
Volodymyr Zelensky was again the star at the annual meeting of world leaders in Munich, receiving standing ovations, handshakes and pledges of unwavering support.
But despite the warm words, his Western partners are falling short when it comes to action.
With a combined economic power roughly 25 times greater than Russia's, the allies should be no match for Moscow.
Yet they fail to convert their financial superiority into overwhelming firepower for the outgunned Ukrainian forces on the front line.
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Political turmoil – one of the factors of life in a free and open democracy – also serves to tie the West's hands.
This is especially the case in the United States, Ukraine's most important supporter.
Washington has become distracted by the impending presidential election that could return Donald Trump to the White House — a change in leadership that would have major implications for the war effort and would undoubtedly revive rifts within NATO.
Growing hostility between Republican and Democratic lawmakers in recent months has delayed passage of a vital funding package for Ukraine.
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Russian troops raise flags in Avdiivka
Vice President Kamala Harris, the most prominent US leader to attend the Munich security conference, insisted that support would be given.
But this obstruction actually hindered Ukrainian forces and underscored the fragility of American promises.
In stark contrast to Western hesitation, Russia has put its economy on the brink of war, pumping money into building more weapons, ammunition and industrial capacity, while more supplies flow in from Iran and North Korea.
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President Vladimir Putin also does not need to worry about appealing to any particular political base given his complete grip on power.
The sense of impunity has been further underscored by the sudden and highly suspicious death this week of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his harshest critic.
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It is “obvious” that Navalny was killed by Putin and Zelensky
Zelensky addressed world leaders at the Munich conference two years ago, urging them to stop what was at the time an imminent threat of a full-scale Russian invasion.
The allies tried to deter Putin with warnings of dire consequences if he attacked, but their threats were ignored, and on February 24, 2022, the security landscape in Europe changed radically as war returned to the continent.
The UK, US and other partners were quick to support Ukrainian forces with anti-tank missiles, and more recently with tanks as well as long-range munitions.
The support helped Ukraine prevent Russia from seizing the capital. They then regained some of the territory they had initially captured during the first weeks of the war.
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But the second counteroffensive last summer faltered due to the failure of limited Ukrainian military capabilities to penetrate the heavily defended Russian lines.
Now, as the conflict approaches its third year, Russia hopes that Western resolve will not remain unchanged as it continues to throw its forces into a “meat grinder” that has left hundreds of thousands of Russian men dead and wounded – but undefeated.
Returning again to Munich ahead of the war's second anniversary, Zelensky explained what the Western failure to provide its forces with adequate weapons meant.
He was speaking just hours after announcing his new military commander Withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the city of Avdiivka, east of the countryWhere Russian flags now fly.
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Zelensky's warning about the Russian threat
“The Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to back down,” the president told delegates.
“We can regain our ground, and Putin can lose, and this has already happened more than once on the battlefield.
“Our actions are limited only by the adequacy and longevity of our power… Dear friends, unfortunately, keeping Ukraine in an artificial arms deficit… allows Putin to adapt to the intensity of the current war.”
If this situation is allowed to continue, the consequences will be dire, not only for Ukraine, but also for its neighbors in Eastern Europe, which – unlike Kiev – are members of NATO.
“If Ukraine becomes alone, you have to understand what will happen,” Zelensky said.
“Russia will destroy us, destroy us [the] Baltic [states]”They will destroy Poland, and they can do it.”
He added: “Please do not ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourself: Why is Putin still able to continue the war?”
