Danilov warns of worsening battlefield situation if West won't increase weapons supply

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said that Ukrainian forces are facing a “very difficult” moment and need weapons, warning that “waiting influences the situation” on the front line.

Foreign aid for Ukraine dropped to the lowest level since January 2022, according to the report by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy published on Dec. 7.

“The situation on the front line is very difficult. It has never been easy since Feb. 24, 2022, and if anyone thinks that the front line is easy, they are people who do not understand the war,” Danilov told Portuguese Lusa news agency in an interview published on Feb. 11.

He said Russia is receiving weapons from North Korea and Iran, which led to some changes in the front-line situation.

Danilov also said that, in this scenario, if the Western countries do not significantly increase their arms and ammunition delivery to Ukraine, “the situation will get really complicated.”

“We need weapons, weapons, weapons,” Danilov said.

U.S. senators have finally put for a vote a highly anticipated bill on Feb. 8 that includes foreign aid packages for Ukraine and Israel.

Republican legislators have refused to support a $61 billion Ukrainian aid package without funding being tied to border security reforms. Funds to Ukraine have been delayed for months as senators negotiated a deal that still faces harsh opposition in the House of Representatives.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is also the presumptive Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential elections, has lobbied allies in Congress to reject any bipartisan border agreement.

The European Union on Feb. 1 announced unanimous approval of a 50-billion euro ($54 billion) support package for Ukraine, which was blocked by Hungary in December. U.S. officials welcomed the news but said the EU could not support Ukraine on its own without U.S. military assistance.

Read also: Opinion: Protecting Ukraine aid from Western political dysfunction

We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.