Ukraine casts a nervous eye to the West's wavering support - Steve Cardownie

My very good friend, Yuri, a former Soviet Army tank commander, has been helping the war effort in Ukraine by organising and delivering much needed aid to villages and towns in the east of the country.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during a news briefing at the White House on President Joe Biden's administration's calls for Congress to pass further funding for Ukraine. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

​He tells me that, with the onset of winter, the war is entering a different phase.

He is aware that the atrocious events in Gaza has drawn much of the attention away from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the world’s media has not been focusing on the war to the same extent that it did previously and it is now further down the agenda.

This worrying turn of events has caused some concern among Ukraine’s supporters who, understandably, are fearful that this may have disastrous consequences for the war effort.

Another worrying development is that the west’s weapons and equipment support to Ukraine may be losing momentum.

The news outlet, Al Jazeera, reported earlier this week that “Uncertainty is growing over Western backing for Ukraine amid Russia’s intensifying campaign to knock out the country’s energy infrastructure.”

In a letter made public on Monday, The White House notified the United States Congress that the monies earmarked for aiding Ukraine would run out by the end of this month.

The letter, from Shalanda Young, the Director for the US Office of Management and Budget, to the House Speaker said, “I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine.”

As Ukraine’s single biggest donor, having already sent more than $40 billion in aid since the Russian invasion, the US’s continued support is crucial if Ukraine is to achieve its goals.

But right-wing congressional Republicans are having reservations about agreeing to more aid and a funding package of $61 billion has been held up by the US Congress.

The European Union is also experiencing some difficulty in meeting it’s stated commitments to Ukraine.

Pledges were made to Kyiv that the EU would put together a 50 billion euro funding package to keep the country solvent until 2027 in tandem with a 20 billion deal for the purchase of weapons and equipment.

However, there has been a delay in agreeing this budget which is causing concern in the corridors of power in Kyiv.

This is, of course, music to the ears of Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, who has been relishing the prospect of a scaling down of support for Ukraine in the West.

In the meantime, Russia has been redoubling its efforts to cripple Ukraine’s energy supply by launching even more attacks on the country’s infrastructure in an attempt to demoralise the population by disrupting desperately needed heating and lighting during the cold winter months, a tactic which it deployed last winter but only succeeded in stiffening the resolve of the Ukrainian people.

So, as Yuri presses on with his invaluable efforts in bringing some comfort to those close to the war zone in the east, he can be forgiven for casting a nervous eye to the west as it grapples with the budgetary issues that have so much significance for his country.