MADRID, May 19. /TASS/. The European Union is concerned that US military support for Ukraine will dwindle in the event of an unsuccessful Ukrainian counteroffensive, El Pais reported on Friday.
According to the Spanish newspaper, Washington still refuses to cross the red line by sending some of its powerful fighter jets to Kiev. The United States is more in favor of supplying other types of weapons that could be used in the counteroffensive. Diplomatic sources believe that the US could agree to issue re-export licenses for the F-16s it sold, for example, to the Netherlands which, in cooperation with Denmark and Belgium, could provide a hundred to Kiev, the daily wrote.
Washington and Brussels have made different levels of commitment to Kiev, though both promise to support the country as long as it takes, El Pais said. The United States has so far provided $36.9 billion in military assistance, with the EU has established a framework for long-term relations: the bloc has given Ukraine 72 billion euros, of which slightly more than half was in funds.
Ukraine is also concerned about the possibility of losing support. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has attempted to lower expectations toward a counteroffensive. Although the Biden administration shows no signs of fatigue, it is aware that it has to show that the multi-million dollar aid sent to Kiev has an impact, according to El Pais.
There is some consensus among military experts and intelligence sources that the crisis is unlikely to be resolved this year, the newspaper warned. According to it, a protracted conflict may benefit Russia and China, but this could result not only in dwindling military aid to Kiev, but also in pressure for it to negotiate the terms of some kind of agreement with Russia, the newspaper insists.
Media conjecture about a potential counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops has been rife for several months running, with various potential trigger dates being publicly mooted. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry highlighted that such open speculation within Western countries about expectations for an upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive only serves to confirm these countries’
In late April, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov asserted that Ukraine’s army was generally ready for a counteroffensive.