Putin is confident that he has defeated the Ukrainian military resistance.

The Soviet Union developed the S-300, a mobile anti-aircraft missile system to defeat American bombers or ballistic missiles. Recently, Russia launched 14 of these deadly weapons, not to defend against aircraft or missiles, but to attack cities in Ukraine. More than 160 people were injured as a result of the attack. These terrible losses are a reminder that President Putin enters the new year with the same old goal: destroying Ukraine’s sovereignty along with its hopes of becoming a democracy closely linked to the European Union and, ultimately, NATO, writes washingtonpost.com.

Putin is expressing his confidence that he has overcome Ukrainian military resistance and Western economic sanctions, as well as his belief that Western resolve will inevitably falter.

Ukrainians, the publication writes, are increasingly concerned about what will happen. Military and economic assistance from the EU and the US has reached a dead end. In Brussels, the problem is obstruction by Moscow-friendly Hungarian President Viktor Orban. In Washington, the problem is Congress, where Republicans demanding border security measures are holding up President Biden’s request for $110 billion in additional spending, including $61.4 billion for Ukraine. The State Department recently announced it had approved $250 million in arms assistance to Ukraine, the 54th such military aid package during the war and, under current law, the last.

The best response to Putin’s latest salvo of destruction is for Congress and the White House to come together and reach a compromise that allows for aid to Ukraine. Without action from Congress, pressure will mount on the United States and Europe to seize $300 billion in frozen Russian assets and turn them over to Ukraine. The move, which carries risks for the financial system, the paper said, may eventually be needed to finance Ukraine’s recovery, but for now it would be much better if Congress approved additional appropriations for military equipment and economic support. The total amount is a small fraction of US economic output but represents a significant investment in Ukraine’s survival, that is, an investment in deterring broader cross-border aggression from Russia and others.

Despite support from the West, Ukraine’s counteroffensive in 2023 fell far short of the expected large-scale expulsion of Russian troops. There is no denying that this disappointment affected the morale of Ukrainians. However, it would be wrong to conclude that Ukraine lacks the will or capacity to fight effectively.

On December 26, Kyiv forces destroyed the large Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in the port of Feodosia in Russian-occupied Crimea. This was followed by a Russian missile attack on Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine now needs longer-range strike missiles and F-16 fighters, a continuous supply of air defense assets, and a constant flow of artillery shells and ammunition. The event is intended to cut off the supply chains and cash flows that support Russia’s destructive war. Putin started this aggression on his own initiative, violating international law. He can terminate it at any time by leaving the territory of Ukraine. This is the kind of peace that the world might welcome, but unfortunately the path is unlikely to offer it.

“A long struggle awaits us, which the Russian president will never agree to end on any terms unless he knows that Ukraine has the constant military support of its friends in the West,” This is the conclusion of the publication.

As FACTS previously reported, ex-commander of US forces in Europe, retired general Ben Godgesbelieves that America still does not take the war in Ukraine seriously and that Western partners, trying to support the Ukrainian side, made a number of mistakes.