Will Ukraine have to cease fire with Russia this winter?
(Baonghean.vn) - Suffering significant casualties and making slow advances, Ukraine has not achieved any victories since launching its counteroffensive. Under pressure from the West, Ukraine may be forced to cease fire with Russia next winter.
The German newspaper Die Welt noted that the Ukrainian armed forces' counteroffensive is suffering heavy losses and will be unable to launch a strong attack against Russia this coming winter. Therefore, Kyiv is forced to engage in peace negotiations with Moscow under immense pressure from the West.
According to the source, this means Russia will control the territories as they currently are – approximately 17% of Ukraine's territory – indefinitely. A new line of communication will be established, which both Russia and Ukraine will consider a temporary border. The conflict will be frozen.
Given these developments, Ukraine's membership in NATO and the EU will remain "very far off," as Western countries – seen as "investors" – are unlikely to spend more due to the uncertain and unpredictable situation, and Ukraine's recovery will be much slower than expected.
On the Ukrainian side, Die Welt emphasizes that the failure to win on the front lines is likely to lead to increasing frustration among the military and the population. Furthermore, Alexander Kharchenko, Director of the Ukrainian Energy Research Center, stated that electricity supply during the upcoming winter will be much more difficult than last year.
Meanwhile, the West is increasingly expressing its deep disappointment with the counter-offensive tactics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Western governments now acknowledge that "the Ukrainian army is no longer capable of sustaining breakthroughs and organizing large-scale conquests, despite being equipped with modern weapons." Washington, Berlin, and London have remained silent in the face of criticism from Kyiv, who argue that insufficient arms supply is the main reason for the Ukrainian army's failure.
On July 23, Ria Novosti quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Ukraine's counteroffensive had failed. According to Putin, Ukraine has lost more than 26,000 soldiers since the start of the counteroffensive in early June.
