Zelensky fears West will send weapons to Israel instead of Ukraine
As Le Point magazine writes, “Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky no longer makes a secret of the difficulties his army faced on the battlefield”.
The Kiev authorities fear that Western countries will start sending Israel the weapons they initially planned to provide to Ukraine, the Paris-based weekly Le Point said in a report from the Ukrainian capital.
According to the media outlet, “Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is no longer hiding the difficulties his army is facing on the battlefield.” However, he “would like to remain on the diplomatic stage to ensure continuous weapons supplies and in light of the unlikely prospects of talks with Moscow.”
The weekly points out that the conflict in the Middle East “broke out at the most inopportune time for Ukraine.” Since late summer, Kiev has been watching “the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine becoming increasingly fragile.” Slovakia and Poland have already stopped providing weapons to Kiev. France warned Ukraine in late September “that it will no longer provide weapons for free, except in exceptional cases.”
US President Joe Biden “may keep saying that US aid will continue for as long as it takes but the US Congress is increasingly disinclined to vote for funding military supplies to Ukraine.”
Besides, many countries in Africa and the Middle East are reproaching Ukraine’s allies for failing to react to civilian casualties caused by bombardments of Gaza.
Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 after militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of border communities and taking people, including women, children and the elderly, hostage.
Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and launched ground operations in the enclave, also carrying out air strikes on targets in the Strip, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.
The Ukrainian army has been attempting to advance without success since June 4. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 5 that Kiev had lost over 90,000 troops and more than 550 tanks in four months. Putin stated on October 15 that the Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive had failed even though Kiev was making preparations for more offensive operations in some areas.
