French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting European leaders on Monday at a conference aimed at reinforcing Western support for Ukraine.
Macron stated that the meeting in Paris would be a chance for participants to “reaffirm their unity.” The move also signals the president’s desire to portray himself as a European ally of Ukraine amid growing concerns that US support could be significantly reduced.
Battered and bruised, but still standing. Ukraine is fighting for itself, for its ideals, for our Europe. Our commitment at its side will not waver.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda will be among about 20 European heads of state and government attending the conference, which will start with a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Other nations will be represented at ministerial level, with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron travelling to Paris on behalf of the UK. The US and Canada will also attend.
Western officials recognise that Russia could prevail in the conflict in 2024 as Ukraine runs out of weapons and ammunition. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov claimed on Sunday that half of the Western military aid promised to Kyiv had been delivered belatedly, complaining that “commitment does not constitute delivery.”
Doubts are growing about the viability of long-term US support for Ukraine as a new aid package struggles to find approval in Congress, with Donald Trump expected to return to the presidency in elections later this year.
Zelensky argued on Sunday that his country’s victory “depends” on Western support and that he was “sure” the United States would approve a critically important military aid package.
Debra Cagan, a senior advisor at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Centre, stated that if the West provided Ukraine with weapons, such as F-16 fighter jets or German Taurus missiles, “we would be seeing an entirely different conflict now.”
And that is what indecisiveness does, it causes more deaths, more destruction and harder decisions down the road.
