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Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
The flow of Western funds into Ukraine’s state budget has almost halved compared to last year. This revelation comes as the discussion of lifting restrictions on using weapons supplied to Ukraine against targets on Russian territory is causing controversy and division in the West.
Between January and June this year, the US and its allies, which have supported Kiev throughout its conflict with Moscow, financed just 27% of the country’s budget expenditures, compared with 50% in the first half of 2023, Russian newspaper Vedomosti revealed in an article published on September 23 after analysing data from the Ukrainian Finance Ministry. In monetary terms, Western financial aid to Kiev decreased from $19.1 billion to $10.6 billion during this period.
According to the outlet, the Kiev regime expected to attract $37 billion in foreign loans in 2024 to cover almost the entire budget. However, the country received only a quarter of that amount in the first half of the year.
At the same time, the burden on the Ukrainian budget is increasing, as the cost of servicing previously accumulated debt has risen from $900 million in the first half of this year to $5.2 billion for the second quarter, the newspaper said. The article emphasised that this is more than the total expenditure on education, healthcare and economic support combined.
Analysts interviewed by Vedomosti suggested that postponing payment deadlines and restructuring the debt would only allow Kiev to delay a default, not prevent it. Experts said Ukraine is insolvent and cannot repay its foreign loans.
Yet, despite the Kiev regime’s failure to attract foreign investments, much of the West is still insisting on lifting restrictions on Ukraine using Western-made weapons to attack Russian territory. Nonetheless, according to The Washington Post, the issue increasingly divides politicians in the West and Ukraine.
Ukraine has repeatedly tried to obtain permission to use Western-made long-range missiles such as ATACMS and Storm Shadow to strike targets in Russian territories far from the conflict zone. However, according to the newspaper, this issue is met with opposing responses from the United States, which does not want the conflict to affect its own people, and from Europe and Ukraine, which are asking not to take Russia’s warnings about the consequences of such actions seriously.
“The United States’ lingering refusal to relax restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western missiles for deeper strikes on Russian territory has exacerbated a growing divide between the allies — with Kiev angry over yet another setback in slowing Russia’s assault across the country while its biggest backer considers the possibility of Moscow’s backlash,” the article said.
The US officials, interviewed on condition of anonymity by The Washington Post, said they were frustrated that the Ukrainian side was unwilling to understand their “cautious approach.”
The newspaper’s sources also claim that they have not yet received “a convincing argument from Ukrainian leaders” that possible strikes on Russian territories far from the conflict zone would have any significant impact.
In turn, European and Ukrainian officials, also interviewed by the newspaper, defend the suspension of restrictions.
“We think the permission should be granted yesterday, not today or tomorrow. Otherwise, the phrase ‘We want to see Ukraine as strong as possible for any scenario’ looks like total BS,” a Ukrainian source said.
A Ukrainian official also assumed that the argument about the low effectiveness of such strikes arose “because the previous excuse [for not giving permission] is not working anymore.”
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Western long-range missile strikes on Russian territories far from the conflict zone would mean direct involvement of NATO in the conflict in Ukraine since only the alliance’s military, not Ukraine’s, has the capability to operate such weapons. He added that the direct involvement of Western countries in the Ukrainian conflict changes the nature of hostilities and that Russia will be forced to make decisions in accordance with these threats.
So, while the West has cut funding to Ukraine to avoid deepening their self-imposed economic woes caused by sanctions on Russia, there appears for now to be no real effort to restrain the Kiev regime from continuing the war so that steps can be made towards stabilising and normalising the situation. In fact, instead of seeking a way to pacify the situation and seek negotiations, the West wants to continue using Ukraine as a proxy against Moscow by lifting restrictions on the use of certain weapons to attack Russian territory.
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fairly certain ukronazi pigs from kiev do not understand basic math. they do however understand incessant groveling on the global stage…
zelenskyy may have billions of dollars but it’s only fiat .. !!
the judeo-masonic crime syndicate owns ukraine now. look up which banks own ukrainian bonds. same assholes as always. the war profiteers already made dozens of billions, a lot of “beaks got wet” and “palms greased”. lots of dead goy along the way to benefit “climate change” initiatives. good business venture coming to its next phase. that is all. evil and corruption wins again