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Kiev desperate over lost chances to win conflict with Russia — newspaper

According to the media, there is no longer any talk of an offensive by Kiev, as Western partners have reduced the volume of military support

WASHINGTON, January 29. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities can hardly hide the feeling of desperation against the background of the conflict with Russia, the chance for victory has been missed, The Washington Post said.

"It’s hard to ignore the sense of desperation in Ukraine’s corridors of power," Ishaan Tharoor, the newspaper's columnist, wrote in an article. According to him, Kiev's chances of success in the conflict with Moscow "disappeared" when Western partners missed the right moment and failed to provide Ukraine with the necessary aid. "The United States and its partners held back from supplying Ukraine with Western-made capabilities at a time when they would have had the biggest effect," the journalist quoted an excerpt from a new book by Wall Street Journal international correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov. "By that time <...> Russia had built up defenses, <...> the best window of opportunity for a clear and quick Ukrainian victory had disappeared," he added.

Now, there is no longer any talk of an offensive by Kiev, as Western partners have reduced the volume of military support. "Right now, everything points to the possibility that we will have less [aid] than last year, when we tried to do a counteroffensive and it didn’t work out. If we will have even less [aid], then it’s clear what the plan will be. It will be defense," the columnist quoted Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko as saying.

The journalist also pointed out that if Donald Trump returns to the presidential office, there is a risk of a further reduction of US support for Kiev. In this regard, according to the newspaper, the administration of Joe Biden in close cooperation with the EU authorities is trying to adopt a new long-term plan to support Ukraine before the end of the presidential term, which is planned to be presented in the spring. The plan is expected to include provisions for economic assistance, security assistance, and Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO. At the same time, a number of Republicans in the US Congress have recently spoken out against continuing to provide financial assistance to Kiev.

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