Senior EU general skeptical about Kiev's ability to retake territories
(Baonghean.vn) - According to RT, the head of the European Union (EU) military committee said that Russia "clearly outperforms Ukraine" when comparing weapons and human resources.
Specifically, on August 24, General Robert Brieger - Chairman of the EU Military Committee admitted to the German daily Die Welt that Ukraine may not achieve its goals in the conflict with Russia. Mr. Brieger warned that Russia possesses a large amount of superior weapons and human reserves, and can continue to fight for a long time despite Western sanctions.
He also said that Ukraine's counter-offensive launched more than two months ago “has not yet gained any ground”, then called for “caution” about expecting any breakthroughs in the future.
“The number of Kiev corps available for the counter-offensive is limited,” he told the German daily, adding that Russian forces had built “well-protected defense lines” in the months before Ukraine began its operation.
The Austrian general, who chairs meetings of the EU's 27 chiefs of staff and advises the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, believes the conflict has become a "war of attrition".
In such a situation, Brieger asserted, Moscow has some obvious advantages over Ukraine. “Russia has a huge amount of weapons and huge military reserves,” he explained, adding that “in this respect, Russia is clearly superior to Ukraine.”
General Brieger noted that the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West for its ongoing military campaign in Ukraine have had little impact on Moscow’s ability to continue the war. “I believe Russia can continue the war in Ukraine for a very long time,” he said.
Kiev's ability to retake all the land it considers part of Ukraine "remains questionable," Brieger said, adding that he did not expect the EU to allow Ukraine to join the bloc before the conflict ended and a peaceful solution was found.
Brieger believes that even then, Ukraine’s membership could pose additional security risks to the EU. The general said that territorial disputes with Moscow could continue even after the fighting ends. In the future, if another conflict breaks out, the EU would be obliged to defend Ukraine under Article 42.7 of the EU treaty if it becomes a member state, he added.
“As soon as Ukraine joins the European Union, this will mean completely new obligations for the EU in terms of security policy,” Mr. Brieger said, adding that the organization “will be challenged much more than before.”
