It is unlikely that Russia could attack Kyiv from the north at the beginning of next year, as there are no visible actions that would indicate this, writes the Estonian media ERR News.
The Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, told the Esimene studioo that at the moment it does not look like Russia is going to attack Kyiv from Belarus.
There have been speculations for some time that Belarusian soldiers could join the Russian army to launch an attack on Ukraine, and such speculation became louder after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Minsk earlier this week. Maasikas said that while it is a sign that Russia is not doing as well as it would like, the visit should not be taken as an indication that Belarus plans to get involved directly.
The ambassador pointed out that the war is very unpopular both in Belarusian society and in military circles, and the only thing the Russians can do is to bring more soldiers and equipment into Belarus to intimidate Ukraine.
Maasikas also indicated that a new attack on Kyiv can be ruled out – previously it took Russia more than three months to prepare, and nothing like that can be observed at the moment.
The diplomat said Ukrainians remain optimistic despite Russia’s attacks on critical infrastructure forcing them to live without heating and electricity. Ukrainians have learned to live together and have also learned to better protect the infrastructure and promptly restore it. Surveys show that 82% of the population is positive about the coming year.
As Maasikas pointed out, the European Union’s decision to grant 18 billion euros in financial aid to cover Ukraine’s needs in the coming year is very important. «This is the first decision on long-term support, and the first payments will be made in January,» said Maasikas.
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