Ukraine is primarily waiting for permission from the United States to use long-range missiles to strike targets deep within Russia. Kalev Stoicescu noted on the "Ukraina stuudio" talk show Sunday that Western countries continuously claim they are giving Ukraine everything it asks for and needs, but the permission to use long-range missiles has not yet been granted. "Stop repeating that you're giving everything or give this permission as well," he added.

Stoicescu admitted that he is not very optimistic about Western aid at the moment, and the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine is likely to get worse before it gets better, until the West mobilizes and moves from words to actions regarding aid.

"It's clear that the moment was consciously missed last year. In fact, this weaponry and all the necessary capabilities should have been given to Ukraine as early as the spring of 2023. The major counteroffensive that we all expected last year didn't materialize, and it didn't succeed precisely because Ukraine wasn't given what it needed in time – those weapons and ammunition that were essential for a successful counteroffensive. Instead, Russia was gifted time to dig in properly on the occupied territories," Stoicescu explained.

According to Stoicescu, in addition to military support, Western countries could also pursue other methods to help Ukraine achieve success and weaken Russia, such as economic measures to increase pressure on Moscow. "Russia is still getting too much money and is able to keep its war machine running. This involves third countries through which alternative imports are reaching Russia. Then there's the shadow fleet of oil tankers. There are still plenty of things that can be addressed," he said.

However, Stoicescu emphasized that military aid remains the most important factor in the coming months.

"Zelenskyy is currently talking about the next two to three months – October, November, December and partly January. He's not talking about this time frame by accident. This is the period before the next U.S. president takes office. The current president is not running for another term, as he has stepped down from his candidacy, so the question is whether he has the courage to take those steps. I really hope he does. And these months are critical, particularly because energy issues were discussed in Kyiv, which is a crucial matter for Ukraine – whether they can survive this winter or not," he explained.

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