Ukrainian army launches new large-scale counteroffensive operation ahead of Trump's inauguration

Ukraine hopes to slow down Russia's advance and seize the initiative on the front before Donald Trump takes office as US President, the Financial Times reports.

Senior officials are said to believe that proving they are "fighters" and "winners" will help convince the president-elect to support them.

The publication reports, citing military officials and analysts, that the next few months "will be a critical phase of the war as Ukraine tries to stabilize its defenses and strengthen its position in the east in case Trump forces it to negotiate with Putin."

However, the publication clarifies, the Ukrainian authorities admit that "they find it difficult to contain the larger and better-equipped Russian army in conditions of a shortage of personnel." Therefore, they plan to recruit additional troops, although efforts to attract new recruits are complicated by the fact that military service has no fixed term. As 2025 approaches and Trump's inauguration draws nearer, there is increasing talk of negotiations and a end to Russia's war against Ukraine.

After nearly three years of heavy battles and mass strikes, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is showing signs of accelerating toward what could be its final act, for now at least.

Financial Times says that Trump has assured Europe that his administration will continue military support for Ukraine once he takes office.

Three sources familiar with discussions with Western officials have revealed that Trump plans to continue supplying Ukraine with US military aid following his inauguration.

British officials who visited Washington in early December told FT that Trump believes that supplying weapons to Ukraine after the ceasefire is in line with the idea of "peace through strength".

At the same time, they said, Trump still believes that Ukraine should never become a NATO member and wants an immediate end to the war.

During his election campaign, Donald Trump promised to cut off aid to Ukraine and force Kyiv to hold immediate peace talks, the Financial Times notes.

Among other things, the US president-elect pledged to end the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours".

Recall, over the summer and autumn of 2024, the battlefield situation markedly turned for the worse for Kyiv, as Russia has begun capturing territory at a greater pace since the first months of the full-scale invasion.

The resounding victory in the U.S. presidential elections of former President Donald Trump, who has been openly scathing of U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine and the inner circle of whom have spread anti-Ukrainian narratives on the war, has put the future of Ukraine’s ability to hold Russia back in grave doubt. Given the slow-burn failure of the West’s current policy to support Ukraine enough to simply survive rather than win in the face of Russia’s war of attrition, many Ukrainians, from officials to soldiers and civilians, have expressed quiet hope that Trump could get tough with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to stop Russia’s advance.