When Russia launched its comprehensive invasion, the Ukrainian president reportedly rejected an American offer to evacuate him, saying: “I need ammunition, not transportation.”
Two years later, Volodymyr Zelensky He remains resilient – but so does his desperate need for weapons and ammunition, everything from bullets to fighter jets.
The UK and other Western allies were quick to support the military during the first weeks of the war, with British and US anti-tank missiles playing a key role in enabling Ukrainian forces to repel the Russian attempt to seize the capital, Kiev.
However, the West's willingness to arm Ukraine has consistently lagged behind this requirement, in part because of concerns about giving away too much capability and igniting a direct confrontation between NATO and Moscow – the two nuclear-armed rivals.
Ukrainian soldier in the village of Robotyn, located on the front line. Photo: Reuters
These tensions have belatedly subsided over time, thanks to Zelensky's sustained pressure and the understanding that defending Ukraine is vital to broader European security.
As a result, Ukrainian commanders received increasingly powerful weapons, from tanks and multiple rocket launchers to longer-range missiles and rocket launchers. Promises of warplanes.
But the biggest challenge now is the West's ability to continue achieving achievements.
Decades of defense cuts in the UK and other European allies since the end of the Cold War, coupled with declining physical production lines to manufacture new weapons and munitions, mean that Inventories in Europe in particular are running worryingly low.
Efforts are underway to revive what is known as the military industrial base, but they are very slow compared to what the Russian side is doing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin He put his economy on alert for war, and ramped up arms production, while also striking deals with other dictatorial regimes such as Iran And north korea To import weapons from them.
This means that its ability to rearm Russian forces is much greater than the West's ability to rearm Ukrainian forces, even though the combined economic power of the 31 NATO countries – which are scheduled to soon reach 32 – is equivalent to… About 25 times the strength of Russia's economy.
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“We can convince Americans that it matters.”
Another major risk is the direction the United States chooses to take.
By far, US military support, Ukraine's largest and most powerful backer, has been essential to Kiev's war efforts.
Joe Biden Maintaining this assistance is clearly critical, not only for Ukraine, but also for the broader democratic world.
However, internal political differences in the US Congress hampered the approval of the main financing package. There is also uncertainty about the next US election and what a possible second might be Donald Trump A presidency could mean future support for Ukraine.
As he enters the third year of a full-scale war, Zelensky will need to further turn up the pressure on his allies to turn words of solidarity into more weapons.
Summarizing the dilemma at a conference in Munich this month, he said: “Please do not ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourselves: Why is Putin still able to continue this war?”
