President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at this week’s NATO summit in Ankara in a far stronger position than he did a year ago, according to a Bloomberg analysis.
The outlet attributed the better position to Ukraine’s battlefield successes, growing European financial support, and increasing pressure on Russia at home.
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According to the report published Tuesday, Ukraine has regained momentum by striking Russian supply routes deep behind the front line and in occupied Crimea, while sustained attacks on Russian oil refineries have triggered fuel shortages across the country, boosting morale in Kyiv.
“There is no major Russian oil refinery left that has not been struck by Ukraine,” Zelensky told NATO leaders after arriving in Ankara, Turkey for the summit.
He also said Ukraine is now capable of intercepting more than 90% of Russian Shahed-type drones, leading to praise from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“You’re hitting deep into Russia when it comes to energy infrastructure or crucial defense industrial capacity. And you’re able on the front line to prevent the Russians from making big advances,” Rutte said.
Ukraine has also begun receiving funds under the EU’s €90 billion ($103 billion) Ukraine Support Loan, easing financial pressure on both the country’s military and economy.
Oleksiy Honcharenko, an opposition lawmaker from the European Solidarity party, said Ukraine would arrive at the summit with tangible achievements.
Russian Strike on Kharkiv Kills One, Injures 20 Including Four Children
Russia faces fuel shortages, falling approval ratings
Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries have created nationwide gasoline shortages, with motorists facing fuel rationing, long queues, and a growing black market.
Bloomberg noted that the disruption has also begun affecting public opinion.
According to Russia’s state-run pollster VTsIOM, Putin’s trust rating dropped 3.4 percentage points as compared to 73.3% in early July – the sharpest weekly decline recorded since the start of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.
Meanwhile, the independent Levada Center found Putin’s approval rating had fallen to 74% in June, the lowest level since February 2022.
Still, analysts told Bloomberg there is no evidence the pressure is changing Kremlin policy.
“It’s having absolutely no effect on Putin,” Moscow-based political analyst Andrey Kolesnikov said, although he noted that public fatigue is growing.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov brushed off the Ankara summit on Tuesday, saying Moscow would achieve its war goal one way or another regardless of Western support for Kyiv, according to Russian state media Ria Novosti.
Expected meeting
Zelensky and Trump are expected to hold bilateral talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit, with the meeting being set for 2:30 p.m. local time at Ankara’s Beştepe Presidential Complex.
The summit is expected to focus on NATO defense spending and additional military support for Ukraine, including a proposed €70 billion ($80 billion) package of weapons, training, and military assistance for 2026.
However, despite Ukraine’s improved position, Bloomberg noted that Russia continues making gradual advances in eastern Ukraine, with Kyiv still facing critical shortages of Patriot interceptor missiles amid continued Russian ballistic missile attacks.
The Kremlin claimed in recent days to have captured the strategic battleground Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine, though Ukrainian troops and some Russian milbloggers have disputed the claims.
Meanwhile, the shortage of interceptor missiles may have contributed to Kyiv’s failure to intercept incoming Russian ballistic missiles during the July 6 barrage.
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