MINSK, November 30. /TASS/. The "Ukraine" startup experiment has turned out to be a black hole for investors, Russia’s ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, said in a commentary obtained by TASS.

"It has become obvious that the notorious counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army, which was supposed to confirm for the collective West the 'investment attractiveness' of Ukraine, fizzled before it even got off the ground, and there is no chance left to breathe a second life into it," the diplomat said. "The startup called 'Ukraine' turned out to be a fraud, a black hole that has devoured hundreds of billions of dollars and euros from European and American taxpayers."

Gryzlov remarked that "before, the Ukrainian leader used to compensate for the lack of results with PR magic, but all last year the box office take from his tour of Western capitals has been steadily falling," especially after the scandal where a Ukrainian Nazi was honored in the Canadian Parliament.

He pointed out that "the Ukrainian leader's credibility is running out, both inside and outside the country."

By the end of the fall of 2023, Gryzlov says, the Kiev regime found itself in an extremely difficult situation. Ukraine can no longer count on support from foreign sponsors. The warehouses of NATO countries are running dry and military budgets are almost exhausted. "US congressmen doubt that a new aid package for Ukraine can be agreed upon before Christmas. In that case its consideration will be postponed until after the presidential election. Pinning hopes on handouts from Brussels makes no sense, either: more and more politicians in the European Union openly oppose further support for Kiev," Gryzlov said.

The fact that the collective West is "faced with the dubious prospect of operating on two fronts" given the escalating Arab-Israeli conflict has also made itself felt. "Questions to the Kiev leadership will start pouring in before long, and since the focus of attention is money, these questions will be asked in a rough, if not an ultimatum-like manner," he concluded.