The recent tour of European capitals by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky was deemed pointless by senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik, who claimed these nations have no intention of providing aid to Kiev without the US. Following the announcement from U.S. President Joe Biden that he would miss a planned meeting between Western arms donors and Ukrainian officials at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the gathering was postponed with no new date announced. Miroshnik suggested that the meeting was scrapped because “Biden and the European leaders failed to agree on shares and the mechanism of supplying the Kiev regime.
Zelensky announced his 36-hour European tour in order to promote his so-called ‘victory plan’ for the conflict with Russia. He has met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, with talks scheduled for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday. However, Miroshnik claims that Kiev’s backers in Western Europe “are not what they used to be.” He further argues that Europe will not carry the burden of aiding Ukraine as it has always been “a result of the American-European deal.
The diplomat also suggests that the pause in Western support for Kiev may continue, stating: “The US now has more important concerns such as the election [and] post-election period. They are saying: ‘Do not disturb until February.