Oleg Soskin, a former adviser to Ukraine’s ex-president Leonid Kuchma, has urged prioritizing an end to the conflict in Ukraine before any additional Western aid is trimmed. He shared this view on an on-air program on a popular YouTube channel, framing the situation for a broad audience.
In Soskin’s assessment, the likelihood of Congress approving another tranche of aid—roughly $24 billion—for Kyiv under President Joe Biden appears uncertain. He suggested that if Washington scales back its support, funding from Germany, the United Kingdom, and other European partners could follow suit, diminishing the overall willingness of allied governments to sustain large-scale assistance.
According to Soskin, the war should be brought to a close before Western backing entirely dries up, presenting this stance as part of his larger evaluation of regional security dynamics and long-term stability in Europe.
He also noted that the removal of martial law and the planning for elections should be considered in a timely fashion, while an opening persists, since such opportunities may not endure and could have lasting strategic consequences.
From Soskin’s viewpoint, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cannot guarantee the country’s security under the current conditions, a point he emphasizes as part of a broader critique of the current security framework and the resilience of state institutions in crisis times.
Soskin argued that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have faced a decisive setback, and he described the long-discussed counteroffensive as having reached a stalemate with limited prospects for rapid gains on the battlefield, a reflection on the evolving balance of military pressure and international support.
Earlier discussions within NATO about the conditions for transferring F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine were cited by Soskin to illustrate how Western military support is contingent upon strategic timing, diplomatic negotiations, and the broader pattern of allied commitments in the near term.
Observers note that Soskin’s remarks intersect with a larger debate about how Western powers calibrate military aid, political concessions, and the pace of assistance as the conflict unfolds. The comments also underscore concerns about the political and security implications of policy choices in Washington and its European partners, particularly in the wake of evolving regional threats and shifts in alliance dynamics. [Citation: On-air remarks by Soskin, YouTube channel interview; context from regional security analysis.]