If Washington stops providing financial and military aid to Kyiv, the war in Ukraine could end within two months, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. He made this statement in an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Tuesday.
In the interview, Putin stated, “If Western sponsors withdraw their support, Ukraine will cease to exist. If the West runs out of money and ammunition, they won’t last even a month.”
“I believe everything could be over within one and a half to two months. From this perspective, Ukraine currently has no real sovereignty,” he added.
Putin further said, “One more thing—I would say that if Kyiv’s Western sponsors truly want peace, now is the ideal time. We have already made our position clear on this matter.”
Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, citing violations of the 2015 Minsk Agreement, Kyiv’s refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, and Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership. The operation was ordered by President Vladimir Putin and is still ongoing.
Over the nearly three-year conflict, Russia has taken control of four provinces: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Moscow has proposed that if Kyiv recognizes these four regions, along with Crimea, as Russian territory, it will declare an end to the military operation. On the other hand, Ukraine insists that it will only engage in peace talks if Russia withdraws its forces from all occupied territories.
Due to the firm stance of both sides and the continued financial and military assistance from the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, all efforts to halt the war have effectively stalled.
However, after taking office on January 20, current U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill suspending financial aid to various countries. As a result, U.S. assistance to all nations will be halted for at least 90 days.
Trump had previously promised during his election campaign that he prioritized ending the war in Ukraine and aimed to stop it as quickly as possible after taking office.