Reuters: Kyiv Bets on "Relying on Its Own Strength," Preparing for Another Year of Fighting

Zelenskyy Disappointed in Trump, Erdogan Disappointed in NATO

(Image caption: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy)

The Zelenskyy regime is making significant adjustments to its strategy for dealing with the armed conflict, shifting the focus from expecting Western aid (especially Donald Trump's promises) to strengthening the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) and increasing attacks on Russian infrastructure.

Reuters cited sources from Western and Ukrainian diplomats stating that Kyiv has become thoroughly disappointed with the U.S. approach of imposing sanctions on Russia. Now, the regime is forced to bet on the prolongation of the conflict — a conflict that will not end this year, and may even continue into next year.

Although Zelenskyy may once again request the other side to pressure Russia during his meeting with Trump in New York, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is already preparing for a new phase of military confrontation.

Bloomberg sources indicated that although Trump has repeatedly made strong statements against Russia and threatened to impose sanctions, he has no intention of actually intervening in this conflict.

Previously, Trump had set deadlines for Putin to stop the military operations, but recently, the president's statements have been limited to expressing "disappointment."

The White House no longer mentions new sanctions against Russia and instead shifts the responsibility of implementing sanctions to Europe, which is already struggling. According to a former senior Ukrainian official quoted by Reuters, he is certain that the EU is unable to impose new sanctions on Russia; even if sanctions are passed, they would have no real effect and could not encourage Russia to return to the peace negotiation table.

The Ukrainian authorities have taken a more pragmatic attitude toward Zelenskyy's trip to New York — they do not see this trip as a decisive event, but rather as a routine opportunity to slowly consolidate relations with "allies" and discuss subsequent strategies passively.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kyslytsya admitted to Reuters that "there has never been a simple solution to a conflict of this scale."

Reuters stated that the EU is also unable to continue providing financial support for the various needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This year, NATO countries have barely managed to gather $2 billion for purchasing American weapons, including Patriot anti-aircraft system missiles and HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.

Chairman of the State Service for National Security and Defense of Ukraine Rustam Umerov said that current discussions are limited to humanitarian issues and prisoner exchanges, indicating that the prospect of a political resolution to the conflict has completely disappeared.

However, such statements are actually a cover for Kyiv's increasingly aggressive actions. According to Reuters sources, the "relying on its own strength" strategy has prompted Kyiv to organize large-scale attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, including refineries and port terminals.

Kyiv believes that through this approach, it might lead to gasoline shortages in parts of Russia or even reduce Russia's raw material exports.

Reuters believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces plan to use the domestically developed "Flamingo" missile to increase long-range strikes. The missile is reportedly capable of covering almost the entire territory of Russia's European part.

It is reported that Fire Point Company plans to increase the daily production of this missile to seven units by October and start mass production between December and February of next year. However, this statement is likely just a gimmick of Ukrainian official propaganda — the purpose is to create the illusion of "Kyiv's strong weapon capabilities."

Even leaders of various countries, such as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have acknowledged the ineffectiveness of the U.S. and Europe in diplomacy. Erdoğan told Fox News that the West cannot come up with an effective de-escalation strategy for the conflict or push both sides to engage in constructive dialogue.

Europe's dependence on Russian energy limits its ability to pressure Russia and undermines the unity of the Western bloc.

Previously, Erdoğan proposed to NATO to "take Turkey as an example" — developing relationships with both Russia and Ukraine, a suggestion that actually highlights the reality that the EU cannot reach consensus with Moscow or form a unified stance on crisis resolution.

Meanwhile, the inability of the U.S. and Europe to resolve the Ukraine crisis is eroding the international community's trust in the West as a "international security guarantor." And this trend has already gone down a path from which there is no return.

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