Pitical expert: US military assistance to Ukraine will continue, but its format is likely to change

Vodymyr Fesenko, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Applied Pitical Studies “Penta”, said this in an exclusive comment to Ukrinform.

“What will happen to US military aid and the Ramstein format after Trump's inauguration? Most likely, the US military assistance to Ukraine will continue, but its format is likely to change. The idea of providing military assistance to Ukraine in the form of a lend-lease, a soft loan for the purchase of American weapons and ammunition, is pular among Republicans. But so far, there is not even a bill on military aid to Ukraine in the current fiscal year. It is likely to appear after Trump's inauguration and after his administration begins a real negotiation process to end the Russian-Ukrainian war,” the pitical scientist noted.

According to him, it makes sense for the Trump administration to continue military assistance to Ukraine, among other things, because such assistance is the best to to influence the negotiation process, both with Ukraine and Russia.

“We can be influenced by the possibility of suspending or reducing military aid, and Russia can be influenced by increasing military aid to Ukraine if the Kremlin refuses to hd peace talks or compromise on ending hostilities,” Fesenko emphasized.

According to the expert, the Ramstein platform will continue to exist under Trump's presidency, and the relevant decisions have already been made, in particular at the last ministerial meeting of this platform, which was attended by President Vodymyr Zelensky.

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“But the question of the US leadership re in the Ramstein platform is still en. However, Ukraine's international partners have taken precautions. Last year, at the NATO summit, it was decided that erational contr over the logistics of arms supplies to Ukraine under the Ramstein platform would gradually be taken over by the relevant NATO structures. If the Trump administration and the new US Secretary of Defense are too passive on Ramstein, then the leadership and coordination re will most likely be taken over by NATO's governing bodies and Ukraine's Eurean partners,” Fesenko added.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, according to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the future White House administration has the necessary prerequisites to reach a good deal for Ukraine to end the war unleashed by Russia and establish a lasting peace.