Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is traveling to Berlin for a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Zelenskyy is also expected to take part in the Munich Security Conference starting at the end of this week, which will be attended by some 40 heads of state and government as well as numerous military experts.
It is a challenging moment for his armed forces in their defensive struggle against Russia: Ammunition is in short supply, and Russia is exerting increasing pressure, particularly along the eastern front.
Ukrainian soldiers are now having to ration artillery shells. The shortage of supplies coming from the approximately 50 supporting nations that are — for the time being — still led by the US will also be a topic in Munich, where US Vice President Kamala Harris is also expected to attend.
Meanwhile, the US Senate, where President Joe Biden’s Democrats have a narrow majority, has approved new military aid for Ukraine to the tune of $60 billion (€56 billion). But it is uncertain whether the package will also get a majority in the second chamber, the House of Representatives. Republicans remain in the majority there, and supporters of Donald Trump are particularly keen to block the aid package.
It is mainly the lack of ammunition coming from the US that is being felt on the front lines in Ukraine. According to reports from war analysts, the ratio of artillery ammunition in eastern and southern Ukraine is five Russian shells to one Ukrainian shell.
“The situation on the front is parlous,” said military analyst Markus Reisner in an interview with DW. The senior colonel in the Austrian army has been observing the war in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, which will end its second year on February 24.
Reisner says he has identified “at least 15 places” where the Russian army is currently gaining ground. “In the last few weeks, this has been up to six kilometers of terrain in some cases, but only half a kilometer in others,” says Reisner.
He explains that this is mainly because Ukraine has less and less precision ammunition and artillery ammunition available. Russia, on the other hand, is taking advantage of its greater artillery power.
Reisner says he expects Russia’s war against Ukraine to “reach a critical point this year.” Europe and the 50 nations supporting Ukraine, under the leadership of the US, may find themselves in a situation in which they might have to stand by as Ukraine falls. (DW)