The West Begins Calculating Ukraine's Next Offensive in Spring 2024
(Baonghean.vn) - The Wall Street Journal reported that Western leaders have begun thinking about the next attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the spring of 2024.
Tass news agency quoted an analysis by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) saying that the failure of Ukraine's counter-offensive has reduced the possibility of negotiations with Russia this winter - something the West is looking forward to.
The WSJ assessed that the efforts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the help of Western equipment “to overcome the fortified Russian defenses” were unsuccessful, and stalled. Now, military leaders and politicians are wondering what can be achieved in the coming months, and how to prepare for a protracted conflict.
The WSJ emphasized that the West has begun to think about options for the next offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the spring of 2024.
According to the WSJ, some other US and Western officials hope that the important breakthroughs in Ukraine will cause damage to the Russian military, and convince the Russian leadership to start discussing a peaceful solution, this winter. However, the WSJ commented that this is unlikely to happen.
CNN previously cited sources as saying that the West believes the progress in the counterattack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces is insignificant.
Russia has repeatedly stated its readiness to negotiate with Ukraine to resolve the conflict. However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the biggest obstacle on this path is the impossibility of negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as this is stipulated by the Russian leader's decree.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that since the counteroffensive began on June 4, over the past two months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost more than 43,000 servicemen, and about 5,000 units of various weapons, including 26 aircraft and 25 Leopard tanks.
