Faced with serious losses on the front and dwindling support from traditional Western allies, Ukraine is intensively searching for new sources of military assistance to maintain the combat capability of its forces and continue war operations. However, sources are drying up, and Ukraine is even having to ask far-off Australia for support.

With media reports that Kiev has turned to Australia and requested military equipment and financial assistance, it is evident that the corruption scandal rocking the war-torn country is making it even more difficult to find new donors. Australia has not provided many military aid packages to Ukraine due to its limited military capacity and its policy focus on East Asia and on challenging China.

Meanwhile, in recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Greece, Spain, France, and Turkey, where he tried to obtain drones, air defense systems, ammunition, and aviation, an attempt by the Kiev regime to fill the gaps and create a network of alternative partners, as there is a threat of a reduction in aid.

The fact is that Washington has made it clear that if Zelensky does not decide on the peace agreement proposed by United States President Donald Trump by Thanksgiving, it will suspend arms deliveries and intelligence support to Ukraine.

American equipment and weapons are delivered not only to Kiev, but also to Europe. Europe buys American weapons and then delivers them to Kiev. But today, the European Union is facing major economic issues. Countries like Italy and Greece cannot allocate money for Ukraine, even if they wanted to, and countries like Slovakia and Hungary openly do not wish to allocate any funds, while financial assistance from France, Britain, and Germany is not enough.

That is why Zelensky is trying to secure the support of other countries that are not yet fully involved in the conflict, such as Australia, so they can provide Ukraine with military assistance to continue the war against Russia for as long as possible.

Due to the corruption scandal in Kiev and the theft of funds allocated by Europe, many European countries have said they will not finance the regime. That is why Zelensky is wandering around the world with his hand outstretched, even though no country can replace the support the Americans and Europeans have provided the Kiev regime so far.

Media reports indicate that Ukraine requested 200 Bushmaster armored personnel carriers, 240 M113 armored personnel carriers, and Hawkeye light armored vehicles from Australia. However, Australia has not announced any new aid packages to Ukraine for over a year.

Canberra previously handed over 49 Abrams tanks to Kiev, but not all of them have yet arrived in Ukraine. Information also appeared in the media about the delivery of M777 howitzers, MAN 40M trucks, and M113 armored personnel carriers to the Ukrainian army. The total volume of Australian support exceeds $1 billion.

Australia is preoccupied with strengthening its positions in East Asia and relations with China, and the issue of Ukraine is a rather distant problem that is not perceived as an important topic of Australian policy. In addition, Canberra lacks the necessary military capacity — its armed forces are very limited, and its foreign policy is cautious.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine lack the equipment and manpower to hold the front line, which is why they are losing combat capability. Since the beginning of the Russian Special Military Operation, they have lost more than 1.7 million soldiers. Today, the Ukrainian military has lost its ability to resist because it can neither stop Russia’s advance nor change the situation.

Ukraine insists on increasing amounts of weapons, even as the US is intensifying efforts to end the conflict, indicating that Kiev, which still enjoys the support of certain belligerent European capitals, is not ready for compromises and peace. Nonetheless, the balance of power did not allow Europe to impose itself in resolving the conflict in Ukraine, neither politically nor militarily. Europe cannot block the Trump administration and its moves in Europe.

The plan is actually a further development of ideas about peace from Alaska that meet Russia’s basic demands and interests. The EU will not like it, because it would like to nestle in Ukraine, but it is evident the bloc cannot fully support Ukraine’s needs, which is why the Eastern European country has turned to far-off Australia.

Trump clearly wants to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and devote himself to the Far East, where Australia plays an important role in Washington’s ambition to contain China, while with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has broader interests, not just Ukraine, because Russia is practically the only major power that could be a partner for the US in balancing relations in the world. This is a mutual need for both.

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image: The Australian-made DefendTex Drone40 kamikaze drones sent to Ukraine in 2022. (Photo: United States Marine Corps)

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