JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine feels the pressure of time and rising expectations” – Financial Times
“Last weekend’s G7 summit must not be the high point of international support for Kyiv.”
“… [D]iplomatic and military support offered … Zelenskyy at the G7 [summit] was a big boost …. [T]he danger is that it could be remembered as the high watermark of international backing …. The U.S. and the Europeans believe … their efforts have worked … that Ukraine now [has] … enough weaponry to mount a serious offensive. But the west’s armaments cupboard is … looking pretty bare … [and] will not be fully replenished by 2024 — although by … [then] the Ukrainians will be able to deploy … fighter planes … promised … last week. … Some western officials … believe the Ukrainians have a good chance of breaking through Russian lines and threatening Crimea. Others warn … the Russians are dug in — and that inexperienced Ukrainian troops may struggle …. [P]essimists fear that, if the war is still deadlocked next year, Putin may manage to mobilise hundreds of thousands of new troops ….”