In 70 days, Donald Trump will be sworn in as President of the United States.
But just over a month remains before Ukraine “loses its compensation”, writes his son in a post on social media.
– It is of course worrying, says former lieutenant colonel Joakim Paasikivi.
The uncertainty surrounding US support for Ukraine has once again come into focus after Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, shared a video of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media.
“You are 38 days from losing your compensation,” he writes in the post.
– It is of course worrying that Donald Trump jr comes out with results like this. It’s not very surprising that he does. He has a history of saying things like this and was quite an extreme person when you look at opinions about white power and other things, says Joakim Paasikivi.
Great uncertainty
Paasikivi further says that Donald Trump has historically gathered his family around him, but that it is difficult to say exactly what influence his son will have.
The newly elected president has previously expressed that he wants to cut back on support for Ukraine and his attitude towards Russia was hotly debated during the election campaign.
– There is great uncertainty about which line Trump intends to take. Trump himself has already called Putin, reportedly without the involvement of the US State Department or the presence of any official US interpreters. So it is very difficult to say how the support to Ukraine or possible withdrawals will develop.
“Extremely justified”
Joe Biden is now said to be trying to secure extensive arms deliveries to Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office as president on January 20. According to Politico’s sources, such support often takes months to obtain, and according to Paasikivi, there is great concern about the future of the war.
– And it is extremely justified. It’s not just about Ukraine, the ultimate consequence is Ukraine’s survival as a nation, but otherwise it’s about what role the US intends to take and for us in Europe, he says and continues:
– Without the USA, the situation becomes significantly more difficult. Ukraine will not collapse immediately, but the conditions for a long-term successful struggle will change.