Continuing to support Ukraine will soon also mean providing fighter jets, says Visiting Researcher Ilmari Käihkö of the Aleksanteri Institute in the A-studio.
Under the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, there is tension and fear of Russia’s next move.
Alexander Institute visiting researcher Ilmari Käihkön it is clear that Russia is able to speed up its military operations, but the timetable is a question mark.
– Whether Russia will be able to do it by Friday, only time will tell. Russia has not achieved much with these current forces, Käihkö states in ‘s A-studio.
However, according to Käihkö, the acceleration of hostilities is ahead before long, because there are many troops on the front – according to Käihkö, up to a million soldiers – and the stalemate has continued for a long time.
– Yes, there is an expectation that one of them will go on a so-called major attack, Käihkö describes.
– Changing the front lines requires escalation and putting more troops and violence there. It is possible that Europe will see the biggest battles since 1945 in the spring or summer.
“Ukraine will also need fighter jets before long”
Western countries have assured that they will continue to support Ukraine.
According to Käihkö, armed and material support are literally vital for Ukraine if Ukraine is to win the war.
In the long term, material support means that, according to Käihkö, Ukraine “must also get fighter jets”.
– And everything else they ask for. Just because the material wears out and the ammunition runs out of these Soviet-made materials that they have at their disposal.
Currently, according to Käihkö, Ukraine can use more artillery shells than Europe can produce in a month.
– It seems that decisions have been made bit by bit. And those decisions should have been made earlier.
According to Käihkö, support would be needed for air defense. He points out that Russia has not used much of its air force, which is larger than Ukraine’s air force.
– Now there have been reports that Russia has gathered its air force on the borders of Ukraine.
Coming from China its own peace initiative?
In order for support for Ukraine not to wane, it is also necessary to continue to justify the importance of the support, says the professor of world politics and research director at the University of Tampere Hanna Ojanen.
– It is necessary to highlight why this is so important, why attention cannot be allowed to falter.
Throughout the war, peace has been talked about quite rarely and with very careful words.
– It remains to be seen what will be heard this week, when China apparently has intentions to present some kind of peace initiative, Ojanen states.
Ojanen estimates that China’s initiative is probably not exactly what the West would like, but more likely somewhere in between the wishes of Russia and the West.
– The West’s consensus on peace is that it must go on Ukraine’s terms and the result must be that Russia loses.