MUNICH (Dispatches) – Western leaders have pledged ‘unwavering’ support for Ukraine “as long as necessary” as Russia’s military campaign against the former Soviet state is approaching its first anniversary with no end in sight.
Speaking at the 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Saturday, Western leaders vowed to remain steadfast in their support for Kiev amid worries about “a prolonged conflict.”
In their speeches, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the West would not lose its patience, even as debate intensifies about the war effort’s scale, its cost, and the economic damage it has inflicted around the world.
Macron stated that the West is “ready for a prolonged conflict,” stressing that there could be no talks until the Kremlin had been pushed back from Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged world leaders to double down on military support for Ukraine while stressing the importance of bolstering the country’s “long-term security”.
Eerlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had called on the United States and its European allies to expedite the delivery of military weapons and equipment to Ukraine despite Russia’s repeated warnings that the flow of Western arms will only escalate tensions and protract the conflict in the former Soviet republic.
Speaking at the 59th MSC via video link, Zelensky urged Kiev’s allies to speed up sending weapons to “defeat” Russia over its year-long military operation and warned global leaders that delays would threaten their security.
Claiming that it was “obvious” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had set his sights on other former Soviet countries, the Ukrainian leader said, “Delay has always been and still is a mistake.”
“It’s obvious that Ukraine is not going to be his last stop. He’s going to continue his movement all the way... including all the other states that at some point in time were part of the Soviet bloc,” he said about Putin.
Russia launched “a special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, over the perceived threat of the ex-Soviet republic joining NATO. Since then, the United States and Ukraine’s other allies have sent Kiev tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems.
Western countries have also imposed a slew of economic sanctions on Moscow. The Kremlin has said the sanctions and the Western military assistance will only prolong the war.
A media report broadcast by the Associated Press from the war front in Ukraine has shown one of the Ukrainian military commanders wearing Daesh insignia on his uniform.
In the video, the commander, referred to as “Kurt,” is stating that the Ukrainian military needs more advanced weapons to defeat Russia.
“In order for us to win, we need fighter jets, rockets,” the commander says, reiterating similar calls by Kiev officials for additional western weapons.
It is unclear if the patch on the commander’s arm signifies the Ukrainian commander’s current or former links to Daesh, or whether he simply obtained the patch and chose to wear it as a novelty.
However, the AP report showing the Kiev commander wearing a Daesh patch raises concerns about increased terrorist activities across Ukraine.
Earlier reports from U.S. forces deployed in Syria showed they had been recruiting and training dozens of Takfiri terrorists to carry out attacks in Russia and several other ex-Soviet states, Russia’s intelligence agency said.