PIVOTAL US VOTE
Zelenskyy says his country desperately needs more aid to tip the balance of the war and secure victory on the battlefield as Russia captures dozens of small towns and villages in the disputed east.
He also still wants clearance to use long-range weapons supplied by allies, including the US, to strike military targets deep inside Russia.
On the ground, questions are growing among Ukrainian soldiers about the long-term strategy of the offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, given Russia’s push in the east of Ukraine.
“If this is a short-term operation, it will strengthen us,” Bogdan, a serviceman sitting at a cafe in Druzhkivka, near Kramatorsk, told AFP.
“If it’s a long-term operation and we plan to stay in Kursk, it will deplete our main resources.”
Ukraine relies on billions of dollars worth of financial and military aid from Washington to fight Russia’s invasion, and the US presidential election in November could prove pivotal.
The German-based Kiel Institute warned on Thursday of a significant fall-off in Western aid to Kyiv if Republican candidate Trump wins the Nov 5 election.
The institute said military and financial aid expected in 2025 could halve to about 29 billion euros (US$31 billion).
“Starting next year, Ukraine could face a significant aid deficit,” it said.
Trump has promised to end the war “in 24 hours” if he is elected – a prospect Kyiv fears means being forced to make massive compromises to achieve peace.
Vice President and Democratic rival Kamala Harris has said she would not meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin for peace talks if Ukraine was not also represented.
Zelenskyy has rejected any peace plan that would involve ceding territory to Russia, arguing Moscow must withdraw all its troops from inside Ukraine’s borders to achieve lasting peace.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Downing Street was his second since Starmer’s Labour party secured a landslide general election triumph on Jul 4.
He received a standing ovation from senior UK ministers when he became, on Jul 19, the first foreign leader to address the British cabinet in person since 1997.
Britain has been one of Kyiv’s biggest backers in its two-year-plus fight against Russia’s invasion, committing to delivering £3 billion (US$3.9 billion) of military aid every year for as long as needed.
