On November 3, Russian Security Council Vice Chairman Dmitry Medvedev issued a strong warning, stating that the more the West spends money on Ukraine, the worse the Kiev regime will be and the more Russia will control the territory.
On his personal Telegram channel, Medvedev accused Ukrainian officials of "wasteing" billions of dollars in Western funding over the past few years. But the more the West spends to support Ukraine, "the more land will return to Russia".
The statement comes as Western allies have just reiterated their strong pledges of support for Kiev. Most notably, at the end of October, the US House of Representatives approved a huge military and financial aid package worth $61 billion. European countries, despite signs of " Fatigue", are also pushing for long-term support plans, including considering using the profits from frozen Russian assets.
Medvedev's speech appears to be a direct psychological blow to the West's aid commitments.
Medvedev's mention of "spending billions of dollars" is also said to be aimed at digging deeper into existing concerns in the West about corruption in Ukraine. This is one of the main arguments that opposing aid in the US and Europe often use to call for a stop of aid. Medvedev appears to be warning the West to funding an unreliable government.
By declaring that "as much land will return to Russia", Mr. Medvedev also sent the message that the final result on the ground could depend on the level of participation of the West.
