Kannik said on the "Esimene stuudio" evening talk show that the U.S. aid package (which was also approved in the Senate late on Tuesday night) still comes six months too late. He suggested that while Ukraine's territorial losses in that time have not been significant, they are the result of U.S. aid stalling.

The expert said that both Republicans and Democrats finally realized that the risk of Russia achieving a breakthrough in the coming fall and becoming a real danger to major cities like Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv has materialized.

"We can add to that Ukraine's civil infrastructure becoming more fragile and less protected due to air defense shortages. Those things came together as the deciding factor."

Kannik suggested that Donald Trump could have played a key role in the aid package being approved in the House of Representatives.

"It has to be said that, no matter what we might think of Trump, his word probably carried considerable weight in terms of the package passing. There were no guarantees until Speaker Mike Johnson met with Trump in his Florida home. From there, Johnson's position was quite clear and the deed was done. Nor has Trump criticized the call," the ICDS head noted.

Asked whether Trump could be a long-term Ukraine ally should he be elected president, Kannik said that it's hard to tell at this time.

He suggested that even if Trump wanted to cut a deal with Russia over Ukraine, he probably realizes that it cannot be done in a situation where Russia is gaining ground and with Ukraine on the verge of losing.

Critics have said that the U.S. is giving Ukraine just enough aid to keep it from losing the war, but not enough for it to win.

"Unfortunately, I believe this train of thought to be quite logical. U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration have been very cautious in their support for Ukraine. They have the very real fear that Russia might resort to the use of nuclear weapons in a losing phase of the war. In this neck of the woods, we believe the Americans have been susceptible to Russia's nuclear blackmail, and that the latter do not have plans to use these weapons. But we cannot make the claim with certainty either," Kannik said.

The ICDS head suggested that Ukraine needs long-range missiles, aircraft and ideally a navy to be successful in the war.

"But above all, we're talking about air force, missile systems and air defense. Taking a big step forward in those terms would help Ukraine move toward victory," he said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!