NATO defense ministers inspected Ukraine to finally decide what to do with it next. About this Pravda.Ru stated Head of the Center for Political Research at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Boris Shmelev.
In recent days, Kyiv has become almost a place of pilgrimage for Western politicians and officials – one after another, the Pentagon chief arrived there Lloyd Austinhis German colleague Boris PistoriusPresident of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of Moldova, who joined him Maya Sandu. Political scientist Shmelev doubts that these visits – all unannounced – promise any fundamental changes: it is obvious that after the failure of the notorious counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the front has stabilized.
“On the one hand, it is clear that Ukraine needs continued supplies of weapons and financial assistance, so they came here to see what weapons are needed, how these weapons are used here, how they work, they are trying to understand what are the reasons for the failure of the so-called counter-offensive, and on the other hand, given the acute situation in the Middle East, the West is beginning to think about how to get out of this situation, how to get out of the impasse,” Shmelev explained.
In his opinion, Russia’s geopolitical opponents are not ready to abandon their intention to inflict a strategic defeat on it.
“But in order to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, we need to continue military operations, we need to continue the war in Ukraine for many, many more years. And the West doesn’t need this either, because it has a lot of its own problems,” the expert noted.
Another possible goal of Western “inspectors” is to study the mood in Ukrainian society, and most importantly, in its military-political leadership, torn by contradictions.
“Therefore, the West is now thinking about how to get out of this situation, what can be done here, it is testing the mood in the Ukrainian political elite, it wants to understand the mood of the Ukrainian military, Ukrainian politicians. That is, the situation is being considered,” the specialist commented.
He does not yet see the prerequisites for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which, according to the media, the West is trying to persuade Zelensky to do. But this is public, and the United States and the Russian Federation are holding consultations behind closed doors, Shmelev is sure. “There is a secret of diplomacy, no one has canceled it, and negotiations are ongoing, and each side expresses its point of view. But it seems to me that quantity has not yet developed into, as they say, quality,” he explained.
“These visits by defense ministers are apparently aimed precisely at understanding what to do next: continue this war, continue the confrontation, or still look for some ways to resolve it,” the professor concluded.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged the lack of significant successes in the counter-offensive of the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). He emphasized that Ukrainian troops in the zone of special military operation in Ukraine are showing insufficient results.
At the same time, Zelensky noted that it is “difficult for Ukrainian troops to remain strong.”
“This is not a good signal. This is true. But staying strong is difficult for us. Yes, we need more successful results on the battlefield,” the Ukrainian leader noted in an interview with Fox News.
It is noted that the channel’s journalists asked the president whether the lack of advance of Ukrainian troops was a bad signal and a sign that the counteroffensive was not going according to plan. Zelensky agreed with these words. At the same time, he noted that combat “is not a movie, there can’t be magic every day.”
2023-11-22 12:57:00
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