Ukraine's Allies Prepare for War to Continue into 2027 - Bloomberg
Allies of Ukraine in Europe and the US increasingly assume that Russia's war against Ukraine will continue into 2027. The latest attempt by Washington to advance a peace agreement after talks between Donald Trump's representatives and Vladimir Putin did not change the assessments of Western officials.
This is reported by Bloomberg citing European and American officials familiar with the discussions. In their assessment, the trip of US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv did not lead to a breakthrough on key issues.
The agency's interlocutors believe that Putin still intends to continue the war and achieve his goals by military means. In particular, the Russian leader intends to establish control over the entire Donetsk region and believes that the Russian army can achieve this within approximately six months.
Ukraine refuses to hand over to Russia the part of Donetsk region that remains under its control, including the fortified cities of the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. Kyiv advocates ending hostilities based on the current front line and insists on reliable security guarantees.
Allies expect a hard winter
According to Bloomberg, Western capitals are preparing for Russia to try to increase pressure on Ukraine during the winter period. Among the main risks are new massive strikes on energy infrastructure and cities, which are expected to complicate the heating season and exhaust Ukraine's air defense. The head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, had previously warned about the likelihood of continued Russian strategic strikes in winter.
Western officials also expect continued Russian hybrid activity in European countries. Against this backdrop, European governments are simultaneously preparing for a long war and trying to strengthen Ukraine's air defense before winter.
One of the key priorities is missiles for Patriot systems. On September 8, EU countries agreed on an exception to the general rules of the Ukraine Support Loan, which will allow directing 3.2 billion euros to purchase American interceptors for Ukraine.
On the same day, Germany announced joining the City Dome project to create an additional shield for Ukrainian cities against missiles and drones, as well as the transfer of PAC-2 missiles. The UK is allocating another 100 million pounds for air defense assets under the PURL program.
Negotiations did not resolve main contradictions
On September 5, Witkoff and Kushner spent more than three hours in talks with Putin in Moscow, after which they traveled to Kyiv and met with Volodymyr Zelensky on September 6. Representatives of the UK, France, and Germany joined part of the Ukrainian negotiations.
American representatives described the consultations as substantive and spoke of new ideas, but the parties did not reach a concrete agreement on ceasefire or territorial settlement. The main disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv remain.
After the talks, Zelensky also said that the current situation points to continued war in winter. Therefore, Kyiv simultaneously views diplomacy as the main path and is preparing, together with partners, a package of military and energy support in case of prolonged hostilities.
Thus, Western allies of Ukraine do not yet consider the current diplomatic round as a sign of an imminent end to the war. Their planning is increasingly oriented toward continued hostilities at least into the first months of 2027 and the need to provide Ukraine with air defense assets, ammunition, and other assistance for that period.
