‘Getting harder to continue this war’: Ukrainians fear Israel-Hamas conflict would divert attention, funding away

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR COULD DIVERT RESOURCES AWAY

Observers said the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has sparked concerns that resources could be diverted away. 

“If this war escalates, energy prices will go up, so the price of living in Europe will go up, and it can create serious domestic tensions in European countries,” said Mr Petro Burkovskyi, executive director of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, a Ukrainian think tank. 

“It can result in the electoral victories of populist governments who will try to mend, to repair relations, or re-establish relations with Russia, and with the Middle East – oil-rich, gas-rich countries. So there is a threat that this regional war can result in the weakening of international support of Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the country is spending about US$100 million a day, in a conflict that has evolved into a war of attrition.

Its forces fire between 4,000 and 7,000 artillery shells daily, which is as much as an annual order from a small European nation.