Ukraine war: Kyiv digs in for the long haul with prospects looking bleak for 2024: Almost two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there are no signs of a military victory for either side. Nor are there clear prospects of a ceasefire, let alone a negotiated settlement. Neither Kyiv nor Moscow are …
Ukraine war: with stalemate on the battlefield Nato needs unity and commitment more than ever: As the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived in Washington earlier this month for talks aimed at securing further military aid, Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X (formerly Twitter): “With Zelensky in town and Ukraine money running dry, why …
Ukraine: opening EU accession talks is an important boost for Zelensky despite Orbán’s obstruction: Hungarian prime minister, Victor Orban, threw a major tantrum at the European Council meeting in Brussels on December 14 2023. Essentially doing the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s bidding, he prevented agreement on a major €50 billion (£25.7 billion) financial package for …
Ukraine war: stakes are high for EU and Ukraine ahead of crucial European summit: When the EU’s heads of state and government come together in Brussels for their final European Council meeting of the year on December 14 and 15, their agenda is likely to be dominated by the war in Ukraine. As you’d expect, …
Ukraine recap: western divisions an ominous sign for Kyiv as the aid funding tap begins to dry up: For the past week or so it has felt as if Ukraine’s fate is more likely to be decided in Washington and Brussels than on the battlefield as US president Joe Biden struggles to get his US$ …
Ukraine war: Russia’s hard line at European security meeting ratchets up tensions another notch: After many months of diplomatic wrangling, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was granted another lease of life at the annual ministerial council meeting last week in a messy compromise between Russia and the west. But rather than …
Ukraine recap: naval success raises hopes of advantage against Russia this winter: War in wintertime is especially challenging militarily. Troops have to deal with the risk of frostbite while vehicles can’t always move over muddy or frozen terrain. It’s no wonder then that wars tend to move much more slowly during the colder months. Cold …
Ukraine war: it may be stalemate on land, but Kyiv’s Black Sea success could bring wider benefits this winter: As the attention of the world centres on the war in Gaza, many commentators believe that the war in Ukraine is becoming a stalemate. To date, Ukraine’s highly anticipated summer counteroffensive has not resulted in any …
Ukraine war: are both sides preparing for stalemate?: US president Joe Biden took to the pages of the Washington Post last week to assure the American people that continuing economic and military support to Ukraine is an investment in US security. On October 20, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, visited Kyiv to give the …
Ukraine and Moldova have taken a huge step towards EU membership – but these hazards lie ahead: The European Commission has confirmed its support for opening the formal accession process for Ukraine and Moldova to become members of the European Union and for other nations in the western Balkans to move forward with their own …
Ukraine recap: with winter closing in Zelensky resists calls to negotiate – but Gaza war adds to pressure: For the past month, the world’s attention has reeled at the violence in Israel and Gaza. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has ground on, day by day, metre by metre. Fierce fighting has continued in the north-eastern …
Ukraine war: stalemate on the battlefield and shaky international support putting pressure on Zelensky: More than 20 months into the war in Ukraine and over five months into Ukraine’s latest counteroffensive, the situation on the front is bleak and no breakthrough imminent, the country’s commander-in-chief admitted in a recent interview with the Economist. With doubts …
Ukraine and Russia claim to be prepared for extremes of winter warfare – here’s what they face: As the bitter cold of winter settles in and temperatures drop to between -4,8 and 2°C, both Ukrainian and Russian troops are preparing for a new phase of the war. Freezing temperatures can hamper the performance of weapons and …
Ukraine recap: future of US support for Kyiv in question as Israel conflict reshapes Washington’s priorities: There was some worrying news for Volodymyr Zelensky this week when the US House of Representatives finally elected a new speaker. Mike Johnson, a Republican congressman from Louisiana, has consistently opposed US funding for the Ukrainian war effort. Now …
Deepfakes in warfare: new concerns emerge from their use around the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Visitors to a Ukrainian news website on the evening of February 18 2022, were greeted by a familiar sight, a video of their president giving a speech. While the resemblance was there, the face seemed slightly out of sync with …
Funding for Ukraine is anything but certain after US elects new speaker: US president Joe Biden has proposed a new US$ 105 billion (£86.5 billion) national security aid package, including $ 61 billion for Ukraine. Pleading with Congress to cast aside “petty, partisan, angry politics”, on October 20 Biden reiterated his refrain that “if we …
Four reasons why western companies have been ‘trapped’ in Russia since it invaded Ukraine: Public pressure for greater sanctions on Russia also affects western companies that have not yet left the country. Sandor Szmutko/Shutterstock More than 600 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, over 1,400 international companies are still operating in Russia. Only a small percentage …
Ukraine: Russia’s losses mount — but self-sacrifice in war is part of the country’s mythology: A recent intelligence report published by the UK’s Ministry of Defence about Russia’s attempt to capture the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region is the latest illustration of just how much the conflict in Ukraine is becoming a war …