Vladimir Putin’s hope appears to be pinned on the West giving up on support for Ukraine strangling Kyiv’s armed forces of vital military aid. Speaking at the Russian-hosted Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on the Black Sea, Putin forecast Ukraine’s military capacity to crumble within a week should NATO countries end military supplies.
The Russian leader’s remarks come as the United States offered unequivocal support for Israel following the unprecedented attacks from Palestinian militant groups on Saturday.
European and American officials in recent weeks have also been raising questions over corruption in Ukraine with Washington warning Kyiv that continued weapons shipments could be withheld unless reforms are brought in.
Russia could take such developments as signs that Western support for Ukraine, which has been at a high level since the beginning of the invasion, could be starting to falter.
Putin told the Valdai Discussion Club: “By and large, the Ukrainian economy cannot exist without external support.
“Once you stop this, everything will be over in a week. Finished.
“The same applies to the defence system: Imagine that supplies will stop tomorrow — you will only have a week to live when the ammunition runs out.”
Western aid to Ukraine has been a vital source of equipment and ammunition for the country’s armed forces.
Modern tanks and state-of-the-art missiles have been sent to Ukraine from across NATO including Challenger 2 from the UK.
However, signs have appeared suggesting European solidarity may be under strain with recent elections in Slovakia seeing the country vote in Robert Fico, a populist who is seen as pro-Russia.
Fico repeatedly promised to stop military aid to Ukraine during his election campaign.
In Sochi, Putin also noted the military production in the US is struggling to match the rate that Russia’s arms manufacturers have met.
He said: “The United States produces 14 thousand 155-mm shells, and Ukrainian troops expend up to five thousand per day, and there they produce 14 [thousand] per month.”
