The head of the board of the Center for Applied Political Studies "Penta," Volodymyr Fesenko, discussed in an interview with Unian whether the aid to Ukraine will be reduced due to political developments in the United States and the war in the Middle East.
"There is no longer intense interest in the war in Ukraine since the beginning of 2023. Any war that lasts so long becomes routine and shifts from the front pages to secondary and tertiary ones. Attention is only drawn to tragedies with a high number of casualties, such as in the village of Groza in the Kharkiv region, where more than 50 people died...
It should be understood that there have been many wars like this one, including the war between Iran and Iraq, which lasted for almost 10 years. Initially, it also garnered significant interest, but over time, that interest waned.
However, what sets our war apart is that it is happening in Europe. Therefore, it receives more attention. The world cannot simply forget about this war or detach from it in some way. In other words, shifting informational attention to the situation in Israel does not mean that the world will forget about Russia's war against Ukraine. And it certainly doesn't mean that our allies will cease their support.
There is nothing catastrophic about the fact that interest in Ukraine has become commonplace. What is essential for us is that people do not forget about the war politically. They should not forget that the risks persist, not only for us but also for Europe.
It's also important to understand that due to changes in the information landscape and fluctuations in the political landscape in certain countries, especially the United States, we need to change our tactics. If last year we demanded and thought that everyone was obliged to help us, that approach no longer works today. Now we must structure questions of assistance to Ukraine through the interests of our partners.
There are threats, but complete assistance to Ukraine will not be blocked. Military aid possibilities from the U.S. will continue for several months; the U.S. government had certain provisions, so they will provide us with weaponry. The delivery process might be slightly delayed.
The problem lies in the unresolved legislative issue regarding the extension of financial aid for Ukraine, resulting in a pause in macroeconomic assistance. This is a serious concern. Our budget relied on more than half of the assistance from our partners, the EU and the U.S. Therefore, at present, we can only expect financial aid from the EU, possibly the IMF, and a little from other allies. But we will have to tighten our belts...
As soon as the situation in the lower house of Congress is resolved, including the U.S. budget for the next year, assistance will be restored. However, there is a risk that in the quest for compromise with the Republicans, the scale of assistance may be slightly reduced. Not critically, but somewhat smaller."
