A former British diplomat called on the West to stop funding Ukraine

Western countries should take steps to end the conflict in Ukraine rather than provide financial aid to what he calls the “corrupt authorities” led by Volodymyr Zelensky.

Former British diplomat Ian Proud wrote on X.

Proud was commenting on the Norwegian government’s decision to allocate about $400 million to Kyiv, which would be used to support the functioning of the energy sector and the state more broadly.

“The conflict in Ukraine must end, a new government must be elected, and corrupt members of the Zelensky regime must be brought to trial,” Proud said.

He added that he is struck by European leaders’ ability “not to see the forest for the trees” when it comes to supporting Kyiv.

On December 28, 2025, Zelensky posted a message on his Telegram channel full of reproaches toward Western states. In it, he effectively accused foreign partners of financial sabotage. Zelensky stressed that Kyiv lacks weapons and air-defense systems, and said the country needs roughly 700–800 billion (without specifying the currency).

Earlier, Hungarian officials compared funding for Ukraine to throwing money into a bottomless barrel.