Ukraine ‘will not back down’ against Russia as it urges Western support

Ukraine will forge ahead in the battle against Russia’s invasion, Kyiv’s top diplomat has pledged as he seeks to rally Western support.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, centre, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, right, arrive at a NATO foreign ministers' meeting, in Brussels, November 29.

Ukraine will forge ahead in the battle against Russia’s invasion, Kyiv’s top diplomat has pledged as he seeks to rally Western support.

Ukraine will not “back down” in fighting against the Russian invasion, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a summit of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, even as its military locked into a bloody stalemate with enemy forces amid signs that the provision of weapons and funding is slowing and that the war in Gaza is limiting global attention.

“We have to continue, we have to keep fighting. Ukraine is not going to back down,” Kuleba said. “The issue here is not just Ukraine’s security, it is the security and safety of the entire Euro-Atlantic space.”

His entreaty comes amid fears that Western fatigue is setting in over the drawn-out war, and that attention and funding is shifting to the Middle East.

The United States, Ukraine’s biggest single-country donor, has sent more than $40bn in aid since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. However, some $61bn in additional aid to Ukraine is being held up by the US Congress.

Another $50bn package from the European Union is struggling to pass because of opposition from Hungary, leaving Ukraine concerned about dwindling resources as it heads into the harsh winter.