David Cameron visits Kiev to show Britain has not forgotten Ukraine
Former Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, in his new role as foreign secretary, vowed during a surprise visit to Ukraine that his country will maintain military support for Kiev “however long it takes”, an attempt to provide reassurance amid of the fear that Ukraine will be forgotten as much of the world’s attention focuses on the war in Gaza.
The visit took place shortly after President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine warned that his country could not afford a “frozen conflict” with Russia. It is Cameron’s first working trip abroad since he was appointed foreign secretary on Monday.
Mr Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the gesture.
“The world is not focused on the situation on our battlefield in Ukraine, and this division really doesn’t help,” he said during a meeting with Mr Cameron, according to a video released by the Ukrainian leader on social media. The British Foreign Secretary responded that his country would work with its allies “to ensure the focus is here in Ukraine.”
There are growing concerns in Ukraine that the inability of the summer counter-offensive to regain substantial ground from entrenched Russian forces could discourage some allies from continuing their military assistance, leaving Kiev with a protracted conflict in which Moscow has the advantage.
“We cannot afford any stalemate,” Mr. Zelensky said told journalists from African news media on Wednesday. “If this is a stalemate and a frozen conflict, we have to honestly say that our children will fight, or our grandchildren will fight.”
“Do we want to live like this, knowing that we will continue to raise children who will certainly fight later?” he added. “Because Russia will come back if it is not stopped.”
Zelenskiy’s fears stem from the world’s declining focus on Ukraine’s past efforts to combat Russian military incursions. When Russian proxy forces invaded eastern Ukraine in 2014, the fighting developed into a protracted, low-intensity conflict.
Britain provided support to Ukraine at the time – a period when Mr Cameron was Prime Minister – including: British Army training program for Ukrainian soldiers. But the conflict eventually faded from world attention, despite claiming thousands of lives and displacing tens of thousands of people.
In the current conflict, Ukraine’s top military commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, said this month that fighting along hundreds of kilometers of front lines had reached a stalemate, with each side negating the other’s air and ground capabilities. He said that unless Ukraine could break through with more advanced weapons and technology, the country would be embroiled in a long war in which Russia would have the upper hand.
“The prolongation of a war, as a rule, in most cases is beneficial to one of the parties to the conflict,” General Zaluzhny said in a speech. nine-page essay. “In our specific case, it is the Russian Federation, because it gives it the opportunity to restore and build up its military power.”
The general said Russia, which has more soldiers than Ukraine to take part in the fighting, was willing to sacrifice huge numbers of troops to keep the fighting going. Moscow has also increased its domestic arms production.
Mr. Zaluzhny’s comments appeared intended to encourage Ukraine’s Western partners to supply his country with weapons that could break the deadlock, including advanced drones, mine-breaking technology and decoy systems to evade Russian air defenses.
The Biden administration has sought congressional approval for a $105 billion aid package that includes aid to Ukraine and Israel. But some Republicans are opposed to sending more aid to Ukraine — and have moved to separate the funding request from aid to Israel.
Cracks have also appeared in European support, with Slovakia’s newly elected populist government recently announcing an end to military aid to Ukraine.
Against that backdrop, President Vladimir Putin of Russia appears confident he can outlast the West’s commitment to Ukraine and force Kiev into peace negotiations that will require the country to cede territory.
“Russia thinks it can wait out this war and the West will eventually turn its attention elsewhere,” Cameron said said in a statement released on Thursday. “This could not be further from the truth,” he added, noting that “the United Kingdom and our partners will support Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes to achieve victory.”
Yet global support for Ukraine’s cause has faded, especially outside the West. a research published by the European Council on Foreign Relations On Wednesday, it emerged that countries such as Brazil, India, South Africa and Turkey would prefer the war to end as quickly as possible, even if Ukraine has to give up control of some territory.
Mr. Zelensky’s interview with reporters from Africa seemed aimed at preventing this view from gaining ground. The Ukrainian leader denounced “Russian colonial ambitions” in his country and said a Ukrainian victory would be a signal that “any aggressor with any colonial ambitions” can be stopped.