The West's current approach to the war in Ukraine and delays in military aid are "completely nonsensical," said the U.K.'s defense secretary on May 19.
In an interview with Sky News, Grant Shapps addressed comments made earlier in the week by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who remarked that Ukraine's international partners "are afraid of Russia losing the war" and desire Kyiv "to win in such a way that Russia does not lose."
Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips questioned if the West was "creating a stalemate in the war with Russia in which tens of thousands of people are dying needlessly."
Shapps, who visited Kyiv in March, responded by making a "very similar point." He explained, "It was a wake-up moment for the West, highlighting that by delaying necessary actions, we were risking exactly what President Zelensky is concerned about," referencing delays in U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Shapps emphasized, "This is completely nonsensical for the West. We must recognize that we are in an existential battle concerning the global order and democracy itself."
He added that delays in Western military aid, particularly from the U.S., were having noticeable effects on the battlefield, citing Russia's recent advances into Ukraine's Kharkiv region as a direct consequence.
"While I am confident that Ukraine will be able to repel these advances, the upcoming weeks will be challenging," he said, noting that the current situation around Kharkiv "didn't need to happen."
'We are in an existential battle about the way we run the world order. We have to stand up to that.'
In a meeting with journalists on May 16, attended by the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky said Kyiv's allies "fear" Russia's defeat in the war against Ukraine due to "unpredictable geopolitics."
"I don't think it works that way. For Ukraine to win, we need to be given everything necessary for victory," he stated.
His comments came on May 16, amid Russia's large-scale offensive in Kharkiv Oblast and ongoing heavy battles further east.
According to Zelensky, Russian troops managed to advance as far as 10 kilometers in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast within a week.
Washington has maintained its stance against potential Ukrainian strikes with U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian territory, even after Russia launched its offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, the Pentagon said on May 16.
Zelensky addressed this during the meeting, asserting that "there should be no bans because this is not about a Ukrainian offensive using Western weapons on Russian territory. This is about defense."
In an interview with AFP on May 17, Zelensky said that the Kharkiv Oblast offensive could be the first of several waves, and Russian forces might attempt to target the regional capital of Kharkiv.
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