US newspaper: Ukrainian army complains about the West's 'abandonment' attitude

According to Ria Novosti, analyst Melinda Haring of the Atlantic Council shared in an interview with Business Insider (USA) that Ukrainian soldiers are complaining about the West's attitude forcing them to fight without air support.

"We cannot continue without air support. You cannot ask us for this," analyst Melinda Haring quoted Ukrainian soldiers as saying. She recently returned from the Ukrainian battlefield, after interviewing Ukrainian soldiers at the front.

According to Haring, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine put the lives of Ukrainian servicemen at stake. "You cannot ask us to fight in a way that you yourself would not fight," the Ukrainian soldiers told Haring.

Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers also accuse Ukrainian society of “not taking the conflict seriously,” analyst Haring said, adding that a small minority of the population is worried, while the majority is “enjoying life” in the background.

Another big problem, Haring said, is the time away from the battlefield. Soldiers are only allowed 30 days off a year, and only 10 days at a time. That means that since February 2022, when the conflict broke out, most “have not seen their families.” This is a source of stress, Haring said, even though Ukrainian soldiers are “resilient, tough, and determined.”

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has taken a heavy toll on both sides. According to Haring, that toll has been felt on the front lines. The soldiers who have survived so far wish it were over.

"One thing that surprises me is that we have these complicated debates about the question: 'What is victory?' But when you go talk to soldiers, they just want to go home. They want peace and they want to go home" - analyst Melinda Haring shared./.

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