U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledges the heavy losses faced by Ukrainians. Shortly after a conversation with Trump, Vladimir Putin ordered a seven-hour bombardment of Kyiv. Russian missile factories have been tasked with producing enough missiles and drones for more devastating attacks to flatten cities far beyond the front lines. The objective is to break the spirit of the nation and to convey to Ukrainians that they are defenseless without western air defense systems, reports 24brussels.
While Trump may not realize he is being used by the Kremlin, he seems to play his own double game: promising air defense systems to Ukraine while effectively halting their delivery. The White House has cited concerns over U.S. military readiness and stock depletion as reasons for this delay.
However, in reality, Congress is funding the replenishment of arsenals, replacing what has been sent to Ukraine with new munitions for the American military. Assistance for Ukraine’s defense has been framed as a method to modernize U.S. armed forces and maintain momentum in the defense industrial complex, notes foreign correspondent Roger Boyes in The Telegraph.
Boyes argues that, like Putin, Trump continues to bet on Ukrainian fatigue — an exhausting path to Kyiv’s capitulation that could later be presented as a peace deal worthy of the Nobel Prize.
“I bet that the conditions of war will change under the impact of rapid advancements in military technology, sudden intelligence-driven attacks, and the shift in support for Ukraine from the U.S. to a European ‘coalition of the willing.’ These factors lead me to believe that the war could extend into this summer and the next, potentially concluding only in 2027,” Boyes stated.
Almost all new European commitments to increase defense spending and create more effective armies will not come into effect until at least 2027. Resolving issues related to fragmented defense sectors, low production rates, limited competition, and national biases will require time. Europe is supplying Ukraine with 12 different models of main battle tanks, while America provides only one.
“Thus, if, as often claimed by the White House and Pentagon, U.S. defense attention shifts to Asia by 2027 due to a potential blockade of Taiwan by China, America’s European allies must be prepared to assume greater responsibility for supporting Ukraine — and start preparing for this now,” the correspondent adds.
Boyes believes that Trump’s European allies must create an alternative support system for Ukraine by 2027 to avoid a scenario where Trump becomes an unreliable protector. Efforts should be made to develop and learn from Ukraine’s rapidly growing defense industry.
The mission of Ukraine’s survival requires ongoing support for at least another 18 months — the time needed to ensure Ukrainian technological superiority over the numerous Russian offensives.
“By 2027, Putin could be pushed into an even tighter corner by redirecting a significant portion of Russian assets frozen abroad to meet Ukraine’s security and financial needs. This requires time, but if achieved by 2027, Putin will find himself in a dire situation: defeated on the battlefield, with a shattered economy, and a world weary of his military adventures,” Boyes concluded.
