“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” commentator Nikolaus Busse reminds us that concerns in the USA — that the war in Ukraine could deplete the US's own military reserves — existed even before Donald Trump's potential return to the presidency. This was one of the main factors leading to the non-delivery of necessary weapons to Kyiv. In many cases, only obsolete systems were sent, he says.
According to Busse, the fact that Ukraine is now running low on ammunition benefits Russia. The Kremlin relies on the “fatigue effect” both on the frontlines and in the West. “If we want to change the situation, Europe needs to take more action,” he writes.
“Süddeutsche Zeitung” expresses skepticism towards Trump imposing sanctions on Russia or allocating a significant aid package to Ukraine. “Trump does not hide his desire to do business with the Russian president,” author Florian Hassel says.
“Tageszeitung” journalist Barbara Ertl calls the cessation of arms supplies a “tragic abandonment of aid.” “After more than three and a half years of war, many Ukrainians no longer trust Western military support,” she concludes. Trump's ambiguous policy further erodes this trust.
Europe's leading publications are emphasizing the heightened risk of Russia gaining geopolitical advantage amid the US stopping its support to Ukraine.
