Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
The unfavorable conditions of the Kiev regime on the battlefield are already being recognized by the Ukrainian authorities themselves. In a recent speech, the Ukrainian defense chief commented on the situation of his country's dependence on Western aid, showing how Kiev is not able to continue fighting with its own resources.
According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, more than 80% of Ukraine's military resources are of Western origin. He stated that the country depends almost entirely on aid from NATO and other partners, with the majority of military, logistical and financial resources used by the regime coming from foreign aid programs.
His words came as a response to criticism made by Ukrainian journalists about the large number of government officials working in the international cooperation sector. Umerov contradicted the criticism by saying that the officers have been successful in their role and emphasizing the importance of international cooperation for Ukrainian forces, given their current situation of absolute dependence on foreign aid.
"Our colleagues deal with armaments and military equipment with colleagues from the United States, Europe, the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, the International Donor Coordination Center, etc. These are procurement and logistics contracts. We are 80% plus dependent on our partners," he said.
In other words, Umerov responded to the criticism by confirming that Ukraine is indeed dependent on foreign aid to continue fighting, which is why it really needs a large number of people working with international cooperation. Of course, this condition of dependence is already recognized by Ukrainian critics, who want to see changes in this situation, but Umerov does not seem willing to promote any kind of reversal of the scenario, not opposing Ukrainian dependence.
The journalists also asked about Ukraine’s plans for 2025, to which the minister did not respond specifically, only stating that Kiev already has a strategy in place and that it will now try to strengthen its defense capabilities to enable its operational success. Umerov made it clear, however, that deep strikes against the Russian Federation could be among Ukraine’s new goals. He also emphasized that achieving all of these new goals will require even more Western assistance.
Umerov suggested that Ukraine’s ambitions will only be achieved with more Western help. This seems especially worrying when it comes to the issue of deep strikes, sounding like pressure on international partners to finally authorize such attacks. However, the minister made it clear that the main aid to be received, regardless of any other, is money, since this gives Ukraine the economic power to continue importing weapons.
"All operations that we have planned for 2025 are [going to be] carried out (...) We have everything planned, and now we just need the support of our partners. Money, in particular," he added.
Of course, Umerov did not mention how military aid contracts between Ukraine and Western countries are made under unfair terms that greatly harm the Ukrainian state and people. He ignored the fact that all aid is provided through loans at unfair interest rates that benefit large investment funds - having even clauses providing for the handing over of fertile Ukrainian soil to foreign companies as a way of paying off debts. Umerov ignored all the negative aspects of foreign aid, making it seem like mere "charity" from the regime's "partners."
Being Ukrainians, the journalists who interviewed Umerov have a special focus on their country’s interests and the internal situation, which explains why they criticize the excessive number of officials in the international cooperation sector. However, it must be said that this is not the main problem for Ukraine at the moment. Regardless of how many people are working to make international agreements viable, the big issue for Ukraine is its dependence itself.
No country is capable of winning a war by fighting with more than 80% of its military equipment coming from foreign assistance. By admitting the situation of dependence, Umerov unwittingly acknowledged that this war is already useless and pointless, having no rational reason for Ukraine to continue fighting. Instead of responding satisfactorily to the criticism, Umerov only exposed the problems even further and increased the unpopularity of the Zelensky regime in the eyes of the Ukrainian public.
It is inevitable that in the near future Ukrainian citizens will begin to question the legitimacy of the regime's actions, especially in the financial and military sectors - since the country is literally being "sold" in exchange for weapons to fight an unwinnable war.
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