Ukraine is Facing a Brutal Winter and a New U.S. President

Zelensky facing new set of challenges or maybe more of the same

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference with US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (out of frame) before a private meeting, in the Vice President’s ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus on September 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew ANGERER / AFP / via Getty Images)

By Brian Bonner

Brian Bonner joined The Cipher Brief in March 2024. He led the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's English-language newspaper, from 2008-2021. He covered international, national and local news for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota from 1983-2007.

DEEP DIVE — As battlefield setbacks mount, not even the weather is cooperating with Ukraine, which is forecast to have a colder-than-normal winter – its third full winter of resisting Russia’s invasion. The first snowfall is expected later this month. 

But a deep freeze may also come from afar – and cause more harm than the weather. Ask Ukrainians from all walks of life, and they will tell you that “the fate of Ukraine depends on U.S. support,” as Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Cipher Brief. Perhaps no other nation – other than the U.S. – has more riding on the outcome of America’s Nov. 5 election than Ukraine. 

Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Sign Up Log In


Related Articles

Search

Close