Ukraine can reach point where Putin is forced to seek truce — historian Timothy Garton Ash

This opinion was expressed on Espreso TV by Timothy Garton Ash, historian, journalist, and lecturer at Oxford and Stanford universities.

"The question is, what is the minimum that we need from the United States in order to enable Ukraine to go on fighting to defend itself, for Europe to defend itself and in the end to go on winning. Fortunately, because of the buildup of your defense industry and our defense industry, that minimum is reducing. It's the intelligence, it's the so-called strategic enablers, certain systems like Patriot that only the United States can supply but Europe can buy on your behalf. And it is, of course, the nuclear umbrella for NATO Europe, which is absolutely crucial," Ash explained.

However, the historian stressed that if U.S. President Donald Trump refuses to supply weapons to Ukraine, both Europe and Ukraine could face hard times.

"If the United States is prepared to go on supplying those minimum essentials and to sell us for money the weapons you and we need. And also allow us to seize the Russian frozen assets at 200 to 300 billion euros, which are desperately needed to support your economy, then I believe we can still do it. And we can get Ukraine to a point where all the pressure is on Russia, and suddenly it's Putin who's having to think about making a deal one way or another or getting to a ceasefire.

But if Trump, who is totally unpredictable, and as I say, without a clear strategic plan, decides to reverse on one of those few crucial things, then we're all in big trouble," he summed up.

• On September 25, Donald Trump said that the Russian army had gained virtually no territory despite spending millions of dollars on bombs and missiles. 
• On September 26, The Telegraph, citing sources, reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked his American counterpart Donald Trump for Tomahawk missiles during the UN General Assembly in New York.