Ukrainian President Zelensky warned the West that his country would be unable to confront Russia without aid (Reuters)

A report by the British newspaper The Times confirmed that Ukraine will face inevitable defeat if Europe does not make more efforts to compensate for the shortage of weapons and aid that Kiev is currently suffering from.

The report added that Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence on moving forward with this war and considering it a matter of life and death constitutes a threat to all countries within Russia's range, especially the Baltic states.

He added that few NATO members spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense, which makes the problem more complex, as it is less than what the United States pays.

Trump's threat

The Times recalled the statement of former US President Donald Trump, in which he recently said that he would make way for Russia to do whatever it wants in NATO countries that refuse to pay their full financial duties in defense budgets, a statement that everyone denounced and considered dangerous.

The newspaper quoted Latvian Prime Minister Ivica Selina as saying that NATO members must make sacrifices to increase defense spending if they want Washington to remain committed to protecting Europe.

The newspaper saw the fall of the city of Avdiivka as a bitter symbolic defeat for Ukraine and its allies, and stated that US President Joe Biden placed the blame directly on the severe shortage of ammunition, which allowed Russian forces to take control of the city.

The Ukrainian army withdrew from that strategic city, which is considered an essential pillar for stopping the Russian advance in the Donbas region, after it became unable to defend it in light of the absence of air defenses and a shortage of ammunition, and it was no longer possible to sacrifice more forces.

The Times said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the West, especially the United States, that Ukraine was living through the darkest days of the war, and if the West did not provide the necessary military aid, Ukraine would be unable to withstand Russia for a long time.

Source: Times