Ukraine rarely captures ‘a trench, a shed or the corner of a row of trees’ from the Russians. So small ‘battlefield victories’ are not enough for America

With the media attack, Ukraine is trying to convince the West for more support. Relations with allies may be difficult, but for Zelensky it is clear that unity is the only option. To All Allies: ‘If the Russians kill us, they will attack NATO countries.’

“Think about it for a moment,” Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Zelensky, said in an interview. Politics, “What if Britain Tired of Poland in 1939? Or what if America is tired of Britain? Would Poland, Britain or even Europe be the same today?”

Along with his history lesson on World War II, Ermak predicts what the future will look like if the Allies abandon Ukraine. He argues that Ukrainians are fighting not only for their own country, but also for the survival of the independent West. But now that the war appears to have reached a stalemate and the Western media is reporting mainly on the conflict in the Middle East, Ukraine seems to have less support.

Fatigue begins to affect Europe and America. In the interview, Yermak mainly lashed out at Italian Prime Minister Meloni, who used the word “tired”. “I think people who feel this fatigue don’t want to wake up to a world that’s less free or less safe,” says Yermak. “The effects will be felt for decades.”

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The interview with Yermak comes at a critical time for the country’s European future. On Wednesday, the European Commission will publish a report on the progress of Ukraine and other candidate countries. Ukraine has signed agreements with the European Union to reform its justice system and tackle widespread corruption.

If the country can show good results, accession talks can begin: European leaders will discuss this further at a summit in December. According to committee chair Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine’s progress is already “excellent,” she wrote this weekend in a tweet under which she posted pictures of a visit to Kiev.

Von der Leyen’s meeting with Zelensky was an important boost, even his advisor Yermak agrees. The head of the committee has signaled that the EU will not let Ukraine down and wants Ukraine to join the club. Although there is still some scope for new military support, many member states within the Union are not keen on Ukrainian accession.

Just how much military support is needed is evident from a controversial article last week Economist By Valery Zalushny, the Ukrainian commander who spoke clearly about the difficulties of the Ukrainian army. According to him, to break the deadlock, means of air superiority and removal of Russian artillery are needed.

So Zalushni’s real message to Western allies: Give us more weapons to do the job. “But I haven’t heard many promises in that direction yet,” says military historian Tom Simmons (Royal Military School). “There’s only talk of F-16s and ATACMS missiles, but everyone knows the Ukrainians need a lot more. Looking at how the cards look now, I’m not so optimistic about the future.”

The Russians now have the initiative on the entire front line, Simmons notes. From Kubyansk to Kremmina in the north, or to the area north of Pakmut: the Russian army is now on the offensive everywhere. In Avdiivka, fighting has been going on for weeks, with an operational pause to bring in new troops.

Ukraine is talking about territorial gains in the Kherson region, which crossed the Dnieper River in the summer, and small gains in the area around the village of Robotyn. But in practice the results are poor. “In Robotine we’re actually talking about a trench, a barn or a row of trees captured by the Ukrainians,” Simoens says.

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There has actually been very little movement on the front line for a year. A major Ukrainian offensive in which NATO allies released several tanks and other weapons made little difference. According to Simoens, the long duration of the war, the lack of significant territorial gains, explains the war fatigue among the Ukrainian patrons. “Support for Ukraine depends on American public opinion battlefield victory”, Simeons says. “But success has been limited.”

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Zelensky himself gave an interview to the American channel NBC, in which he emphasized the need for American support. He also elaborated on the previous day’s news: US and European government representatives were already expected to talk with the Ukrainian government about ending the war.

It was clear from the conversation that rather than cede territory to the Russians, Zelensky would rather get new weapons to continue fighting. “If the Russians kill us all, they will attack NATO countries,” Zelensky said. “Then you must send your sons and daughters to fight, and the price will be high.”