West support for Ukraine may dwindle over time: Czech president
The Czech Republic's president warns that the West's support for Ukraine, which is involved in a war with Russia, may wane over time, depending on a number of elements, including the results of the next US elections.
Speaking on Wednesday, Petr Pavel said the result of the presidential election in the United States next year will impact the European support for Ukraine, Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported.
"If support from the USA dwindles, support from a number of European countries will also dwindle. Ukraine must take that into account," he said.
Pavel also said, "We have to take war fatigue into account and what it means for support from Western countries. This will decrease over time."
Russia started a military campaign in neighboring Ukraine last February to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk against persecution by Kiev.
Ever since the beginning of the war, Western countries, led by the United States, have been slapping Russia with a slew of economic sanctions and pumping Ukraine full of tens of billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons, steps that Moscow says would only prolong the hostilities.
The remarks by Pavel, himself a former NATO general, marked rare ones by an official from the US-led military alliance to voice pessimism concerning the future of the alliance's support for Ukraine.
They echoed comments made last month by NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who revealed that Ukraine's Western allies were having a hard time keeping up with Kiev's ever-increasing demand for ammunition to be used in the war.
"The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions, and depleting allied stockpiles," Stoltenberg told reporters on February 13, adding, "The current rate of Ukraine's ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production. This puts our defense industries under strain."
Spain turns away ship carrying arms to occupied territories
Anti-Islam Wilders's coalition deal spells sharp shift to hard-right
Slovakia PM in ‘very serious’ condition after assasination attempt
Senegal PM blasts French military presence, raises possibility of closing bases
Fighting rages as Israel steps up Rafah invasion despite intl. outcry
Palestine urges FIFA to suspend Israel over war on Gaza
France deploys troops, declares emergency state to quell New Caledonia protests
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
VIDEO | Concerns in Israel about Rafah invasion
University of Calgary: Pro-Palestine encampment attacked by police
Hezbollah launches drone strike, rocket barrages at Israeli positions
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
