Ukraine without American payments and disruption of arms deliveries. What the media say
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- Ukraine without American payments and disruption of arms deliveries. What the media say
US cuts in foreign aid lead to halt in salary payments to Ukrainian officials. Western countries have warned Kiev about the disruption of arms deliveries due to the scandal over defense purchases. Kiev is at the same time trying to manipulate US President Donald Trump to pressure Russia. What the world media write about Ukraine - in the Izvestia digest.
Financial Times: disputes inside Ukraine lead to disruption of Western arms supplies
Western officials have warned that a dispute between Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and weapons procurement chief Marina Bezrukova could disrupt deliveries and undermine US confidence in Kiev. The conflict erupted on January 24 when Umerov fired Bezrukova over "unsatisfactory" job performance and failure to deliver weapons and ammunition to troops on the front line.
Financial Times
The scandal has angered Ukrainian lawmakers and anti-corruption activists, as well as Western diplomats who have warned that any signs of dysfunction could play into Russia's hands and heighten fears in Trump's inner circle about corruption in Ukraine's military supply chain.
Ambassadors representing G7 countries in Ukraine urged Kiev to resolve the dispute "swiftly and focus on continuing defense procurement." Most Western diplomats and analysts backed Bezrukova. Among them are those who once advocated for Umerov's appointment as defense minister in 2023 after the procurement corruption scandal his predecessor was embroiled in. But now many in Kiev see Umerov's actions as an attempt to undermine the anti-corruption fight he was supposed to be championing.
Associated Press: the U.S. has stopped paying salaries to Ukrainian officials
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump froze nearly all U.S. foreign aid, making exceptions only for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (credentials expired May 20) said it doesn't affect support for his military because Trump's executive order concerns State Department funding, not Pentagon funding.
Associated Press
But civilian programs vital to Ukraine's war effort come from the State Department. There's no mention of exemptions for them. That includes support for salaries that the U.S. provides to keep the Ukrainian government running despite the damage to the economy.
Most of the military aid to Ukraine comes from the U.S. Department of Defense. That includes a program that provides existing weapons stockpiles and another that pays for contracts to deliver equipment for a year or more.
Politico: Ukraine is using Trump to pressure Russia
At this point, Ukraine does not believe that U.S. President Donald Trump will be able to secure a deal favorable to it. Instead, Ukrainian officials are pinning their hopes on the White House chief becoming increasingly irritated with Russia, which will force him to provide stronger support to Kiev. That said, the assumption is that Trump will not go for a complete capitulation to Ukraine if he decides to turn down that path.
Politico
Trump has to come to the conclusion on his own that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is not willing to make any concessions - not to Ukraine, but to him, said the lobbyist, who asked not to be named. - This should be an iterative process, and Ukraine should be a constructive party throughout. Trump and his aides need to test the Russians themselves, then they will see.
The Ukraine strategy is built on the shaky assumption that Trump will eventually lose patience with Putin. At the same time, the US presidential administration is confident that Russia will go to the talks for economic reasons, which is also questionable.
Axios: US moves Patriot missiles from Israel to Ukraine
The US military has moved about 90 Patriot anti-aircraft interceptor missiles from a warehouse in Israel to Poland to deliver them to Ukraine. Delivering more and more missiles to Ukraine is a top priority for the Pentagon. This is the largest arms shipment from Israel to Ukraine in nearly three years.
Axios
Last April, the Israeli Air Force officially decommissioned the Patriot system, more than 30 years after it was first given to Israel during the first Gulf War. The system had become obsolete as Israel developed its own air defense systems and most Patriot batteries were used for training purposes or left in storage.
Israel has been stalling the decision for months, fearing retaliation from Russia. According to the Ukrainian official, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to return calls for weeks. However, in late September, Netanyahu finally approved the idea.
Politico: EU intends to speed up consideration of Ukraine's application for membership in 2025
The European Union (EU) intends to accelerate Ukraine's membership in the union by opening two negotiating "clusters" in the first half of 2025. The promise comes as Kiev seeks to strengthen its position ahead of expected peace talks with Russia. Becoming an EU member would be a major achievement for Ukraine, which also seeks to join NATO.
Politico
Although Kiev has received the legal green light to begin negotiations with Brussels, it has yet to open the first cluster of talks. The entire process includes six clusters, which are divided into a total of 35 chapters.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos indicated that further progress depends on the agreement of EU member states, which must agree on each step forward. Hungary, in particular, opposes Ukraine's membership.
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