Ukraine entered the conflict from the start in a weakened position, according to former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, who spoke on his Telegram channel. He argued that Ukraine faced a losing scenario from the very beginning and that some strategic dynamics favored the opposing side.
Azarov warned that officials who forcibly mobilize citizens could eventually be sent to the front themselves. He said the cadre of such enforcers was small, limited to a single brigade composed of former military registration and enlistment office staff.
Earlier, Solomiya Bobrovskaya, a deputy in the Verkhovna Rada, said that Ukrainian authorities would not be able to meet the planned population mobilization by the end of the year.
A separate report suggested that the possible victory of a Republican presidential candidate might raise questions about the future of Ukraine.
Additionally, there were discussions in the United States where some voices opposed increasing aid to Ukraine.
Taken together, these statements illustrate the tension between internal mobilization challenges and shifting international attitudes, underlining the fragile balance that frames the war’s unfolding.