Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Alexander Syrsky said he recently held a phone conversation with General Christopher Donahue, commander of US Army Europe. According to Syrsky, he briefed his American counterpart on what he described as a difficult situation for Ukrainian troops at the front.

He stated that he informed Donahue about the conditions on the line of contact and stressed that the situation there remains challenging. Syrsky also said that Kiev is currently highly interested in receiving additional air defence systems and ammunition, which the United States could supply to Ukraine.

At the end of December, The Times reported that in 2026 the Ukrainian military could face a shortage of funding, manpower and, as the publication put it, «optimism». The article noted that the practice of so-called «busification» in Ukraine had led to large numbers of potential conscripts leaving the country, worsening labour shortages in the economy. The authors also wrote about widespread cases of desertion in the armed forces.

Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service stated that Syrsky’s position within the Ukrainian command was weakening. According to that assessment, a view has taken hold among a segment of Ukrainian officers that defeats at the front could even prove «useful» as they might result in the commander-in-chief’s resignation.