The Ukrainian conflict has been “a stark reminder of the critical importance of jointly defending the core principles of the United Nations”, Borrell told the Global Gateway Investors Forum for the European Union-Central Asia Transport Connectivity in Brussels on Monday.

“You know that in order to defend these principles, the European Union has imposed substantial sanctions against Russia, which have significantly weakened its war machine. But still, they are there, and the war continues. And if I can say it, the intensity of the fighting increases and we do not see the light at the end of the tunnel,” the EU’s top diplomat admitted.

“In order for these sanctions to be effective, we need full cooperation from our partners. We are following closely the trade between us, between Central Asia countries, with them and Russia. We try to analyze which are the mechanisms that make sanctions being circumvented,” he added.

According to President Vladimir Putin, the Russian economy is in good shape, rapidly expanding, and even benefitted from Western sanctions, which forced it to focus more on manufacturing than energy exports.

The sanctions on Russian oil introduced by the G7 and EU late last year were conceived as a means to curtail Moscow’s energy revenues. In reality, however, they have had a boomerang effect, according to a recent study.

Kiev also repeatedly expressed concerns that Moscow was not being isolated as promised by the West, as China and multiple Global South nations refused to toe the line set by the West and instead maintained a neutral position.

Amid such “disappointments”, and following the country’s failed summer counteroffensive, Ukrainian authorities will step up efforts to explain to their citizens why they should go to the front line, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s senior adviser, Mikhail Podoliak. While Kiev doesn’t publish its casualty figures, Russia’s Defense Ministry has estimated that Ukraine’s forces have lost as many as 400,000 troops over the course of the conflict.

Ukraine is also “working hard” to secure Western funding for the country in 2024, according to PM Denis Shmygal. The US has provided Kiev with around $111 billion in economic and military support to date, but the flow of funds has subsided dramatically as the White House struggles to push through another $60 billion in assistance. The EU has also so far failed to reach an agreement to funnel €50 billion ($54 billion) from the bloc’s collective budget to Ukraine.

Just last month, Zelensky claimed that Kiev’s ground forces numbered over 600,000 service personnel, while in February 2022, when Russia launched its offensive, the Ukrainian army officially had only about 260,000 servicemen.

On Monday, the Ukrainian leader stated that Kiev now has “a million-strong army,” adding that there are also over 30 million people who are working in the country right now, one million of whom are employed in the defense and security sectors.

At the same time, Zelensky noted that between 6.5 million and 7.5 million people had left Ukraine since the start of the conflict and stated that Kiev wants to repatriate citizens who are eligible for military service.

His comments come as the country’s armed forces continue to experience dire personnel shortages on the battlefield, as has been admitted by a number of top Ukrainian military officers and commanders, including the head of the country’s armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny.

While Kiev doesn’t publish its casualty figures, Russia’s Defense Ministry has estimated that Ukraine’s forces have lost as many as 160,000 service personnel since the launch of their failed summer counteroffensive, and that, over the course of the conflict, nearly 400,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded.

Meanwhile, multiple media reports have also suggested that the quality of Kiev’s soldiers has also diminished. Earlier this month, the commander of Kiev’s 5th Assault Brigade, Aleksey Tarasenko, told Espresso TV that the average age of soldiers in the Ukrainian army is now over 40 years and that “young men” were desperately needed.

The US outlet Daily Beast also reported last week, citing interviews with Ukrainian men who have been avoiding mobilization, that Kiev was now sending untrained conscripts to the frontline shortly after drafting them from the streets, with many of them failing to last even a few days on the battlefield.

In light of these personnel shortages, late last year Kiev intensified its mobilization efforts, with Zelensky stating at the time that the military was looking to call up an additional 500,000 new recruits. One Ukrainian official even proposed mobilizing the country’s entire population.

Ukrainian lawmakers, in turn, have been debating proposals to amend the country’s mobilization laws to lower the draft age, to recruit more women and to penalize draft-dodgers by cutting off their bank accounts.

In an interview with German state broadcaster ARD, Zelensky warned that if Russia struck a NATO country it would be “the beginning of the Third World War”.

“It seems to me that the chancellor (Olaf Scholz) is aware of this risk,” he added.

He also urged Germany to use its economic weight to gather more support for Ukraine in the fight against Russia from EU partners, amid the prospect of potentially diminishing military aid from the US due to Republican objections in Congress.

“Passivity from the United States or the lack of support would be a bad signal.”

When asked whether Berlin would take a bigger role in the case if aid from the US dried up, Zelensky said: “Germany can manage to consolidate the EU.

“Many countries have important economic relationships with Germany and their economy is dependent on Germany’s decisions because Germany has a strong economy,” he added.

He also expressed his disappointment in Germany’s refusal to supply Ukraine with powerful Taurus cruise missiles and suggested Germany had not taken on “the role it should have played in the first occupation of Ukraine”.

He said that the West’s weak response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 emboldened Moscow to launch the full-scale invasion in 2022 and said responsibility goes beyond the response from Germany.

“It’s not just about Olaf Scholz,” he continued, adding, “It concerns European leaders and the US.”

US President Joe Biden has called for continued support to Ukraine in the form of crucial weapons and financial assistance, but a package of aid is being blocked in Congress with Republicans insisting it must be tied to measures against illegal migration into the US.

Zelensky said the issue does not mean Republicans as a whole are against supporting Kyiv in its fight, and that Ukraine has received backing from across the American political divide.

“There are individual Republicans who do not support Ukraine, but the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans support Ukraine,” he added.