A key move is awaited: Trump has a big decision to make

Without additional help from the United States, Ukraine could suffer defeat in the next 12-18 months, said Robert Kagan, an American political analyst and husband of former Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, in an article for The Atlantic magazine.

According to the columnist, if Ukraine falls, it will be difficult to present it otherwise than as a failure of the USA and its president.

"Vice President-elect Jay D. Vance once said that he doesn't care what happens to Ukraine. We will soon find out if the American people share his indifference, because unless there is a major new infusion of aid from the United States soon, Ukraine is likely to lose the war in the next 12 to 18 months," the text states.

Kagan believes that Ukraine will face "total defeat, loss of sovereignty".

According to the author, this is an immediate problem for the newly elected US President Donald Trump.

"He promised to quickly resolve the war upon taking office, but now he is facing a difficult reality," the expert believes.

"Trump must now choose between accepting a humiliating strategic defeat on the global stage and immediately doubling US support to Ukraine while there is still time. The choice he makes in the coming weeks will determine not only the fate of Ukraine, but also the success of his presidency," Kagan said.