G7's promise for supporting Ukraine 'faces uncertainty' next year

The G7 recently reaffirmed their support for Ukraine as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants to end the war through talks next year, as experts said on Sunday that the G7's latest statement is in line with the current administration of US President Joe Biden but how the US will act under Donald Trump's administration next year is a key question. 

The G7 leaders said in a statement on its official website on Saturday they reiterate their "unwavering" support for Kiev amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict "for as long as it takes." The Ukrainian president said in a radio interview aired on Saturday that his side will do everything possible to end the war with Russia in 2025 "through diplomatic means," Euronews reported.

The G7statement also reiterated a pledge to keep imposing severe costs on Russia through sanctions, export controls and other measures. "Russia remains the sole obstacle to just and lasting peace," said the statement released on the G7 official website, adopted in support of Kiev as the thousandth day of Russia's war with Ukraine.

Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the latest stance from the G7 remains in line with the policy of the Biden administration, seeking a military victory against Russia or at least not allowing  Russia to win, which will remain unchanged before Trump takes office in January 2025.

However, to what extent Trump will agree with this or completely overthrow the policy of support for Ukraine, is a key question. "If the US stops its support and makes more Western countries do the same, Ukraine would not be able to afford the war," Li noted.

France24 reported that Zelensky said Saturday that Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through "diplomatic means," as both countries prepare for Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Zelensky said he had a "constructive exchange" with Trump during their phone conversation. He did not say whether Trump had made any demands regarding possible talks with Russia, but said he had not heard anything from him that was contrary to Ukraine's position, according to the BBC.

The situation for 2025 in Ukraine is highly unpredictable, as Trump administration may clash with his European allies over issues such as defense spending and the conditions under which to reach a mutually acceptable and enforceable ceasefire with Russia, Li said, adding that there will also be changes in the battlefield situation before Trump's innauguration.  

The Kremlin said Russia is open to talks to settle the conflict in Ukraine based on the proposals that were announced at the Foreign Ministry in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as they spoke by phone, Russian news agency Tass reported on Friday.

Putin held a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry in June, where he listed the conditions for talks with Ukraine. They include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, Ukraine's commitment to adopt a non-aligned status, "denazification and demilitarization of the country," and the lifting of all Western sanctions. The president insisted that all these conditions should be enshrined in fundamental international agreements, Tass reported.