Now that Ukraine's counter-offensive has stalled, the country is also facing problems away from the front. The US Congress has refused to authorise further financial aid and Hungary doesn't want to discuss further EU assistance for Ukraine at the summit in December, as planned. Aid that has already been agreed on has yet to be delivered, and ammunition supplies are delayed. Europe's press takes stock.
Support more vital than ever in harsh winter
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We must not abandon Ukraine now, urges Tygodnik Powszechny:
“In this third winter of war - which began abruptly this time, with snowstorms alternating with melting snow; 10 degrees Celsius during the day, below zero at night - the defenders are perhaps even more dependent on help than they were a year ago.”
Nightmare scenario: victory for Putin and Trump
Delivering more aid to Kyiv is in the EU's own interest, El País emphasises:
“Russia has suffered enormous erosion, but it has regrouped militarily. ... It could have serious consequences if we slacken our aid for Kyiv now. ... Ukraine deserves support. This is also in the interests of the EU in view of its future enlargement. The country has serious internal problems. It must strengthen its democracy in the face of corruption. ... It would be a serious mistake to underestimate Russia because of its initial failures. ... The idea of Putin gaining ground and Trump returning to the White House should be enough to convince everyone in the EU to continue supporting Ukraine.”
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Russia must be stopped now
It would be a fatal historical mistake to hesitate in helping Kyiv and rely only on the US, NRC warns:
“Putin's campaign of terror goes much further than the continued existence of Ukraine and the fate of some 40 million citizens. There is no reason to assume that Russia will stop once it has taken over its neighbouring country. The alarming reports of the continuing Russian threat still don't seem to be getting through to European capitals. States and industry are still not cooperating sufficiently in the production of weapons and ammunition. ... To count on unlimited American support would be proof of naivety.”
Still a key issue for politicians
Europe's support for Kyiv has not disappeared, political scientist Bernardo Pires de Lima explains in Visão:
“The European Council will hopefully officially open accession negotiations with Ukraine this year. And it is already discussing the idea of channeling frozen Russian funds into the Ukrainian war effort, imposing a new round of sanctions on Russia, and above all putting a definitive end to all schemes to supply Russian oil and gas to European markets, which are the objective sources of Moscow's military funding. The fact that Ukraine has disappeared from the news does not mean that it has become strategically insignificant for the West.”
Media should think carefully about what they write
La Repubblica reacts with fury to a recent article in The Economist according to which Putin has a real chance of winning the war:
“In Europe, we are subject to an asymmetric war that also impacts information. The assumption that Russia will win is not only a false analysis, it also risks weakening support for Ukraine at a particularly difficult and sensitive time. ... In reality, we are only providing a prop for the Kremlin tsar, who is convinced that he can play for time by counting on the 'fatigue' of the West and waiting for Donald Trump's eventual re-election. ... It would seem that we have not yet understood that we are indirectly involved in a war that is decisive for the future of European security.”
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