Is Ukraine being left to fend for itself?
Two years ago, when Russia began its full scale invasion of Ukraine, it became apparent that talk about a quick victory was just the Kremlin buying its own disinformation. Ukraine, buoyed by Western, particularly American, support, proved to be a formidable force. Now, as a debilitating, deadlocked war is about to enter its third year, there appears to have been a slight but significant shift in momentum.
Ukraine, while staving off Russian bombardment, also finds itself trying to reverse a gloom-laden narrative gaining traction in the West.
With a bill to further fund Ukraine's war effort languishing in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, it appears as if American domestic politics outweigh any concern for the fate of Ukraine. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin aired a sentiment common among Republicans as he explained why he voted against the bill. "Vladimir Putin is an evil war criminal," Johnson said. But, he clarified, "Vladimir Putin will not lose this war."
This week, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking on Fox News, described Russia as a "war machine." Russians, he said, "defeated Hitler, they defeated Napoleon," seemingly reiterating the case Putin made in his interview with conservative pundit Tucker Carlson that defeating Russia on the battlefield is "impossible by definition." And only 10% of people recently polled across 12 European Union countries said Ukraine would win the war, albeit only 20% said Russia would win it. A far bigger share, 37%, said they anticipated both sides would be "reaching a compromise settlement."