Ukraine has faced a series of military and diplomatic setbacks in the situation surrounding the conflict with Russia, writes columnist for the French publication Le Monde Sylvie Kaufman.
According to her, there is currently a confluence of a number of unfavorable factors for the West and Ukraine, which form the so-called “perfect storm”, which could lead to negative consequences for Kyiv.
As noted in the column, even the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, admitted in a recent interview that the Ukrainian army cannot achieve significant success on the battlefield for a number of reasons, including fatigue, losses and a lack of weapons.
At the same time, the population of Ukraine does not allow the numerous losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to be replenished through mobilization; in the country, the author points out, protests are already being observed, the participants of which are demanding that the authorities demobilize the military, who have been fighting since the very beginning of the conflict. Russia does not carry out portable mobilization of the civilian population, and this place offers favorable conditions for contract service.
In addition, the author points out the high involvement of the United States in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, which diverts attention from Ukraine and also leads to a reduction in the amount of istance that Kyiv can count on.
On November 8, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that Kyiv intends to continue the counter-offensive, despite the difficulties and the shift of Western attention to the situation in the Middle East. He promises to “show results this year.”
The Kremlin responded by recalling that the previous promises of the Ukrainian authorities had no longer come true. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that it is time for the Ukrainian side to understand that it will not be able to defeat Russia on the battlefield. Only after this can the prerequisites arise for resolving the situation through “political and diplomatic means.” Peskov also disagreed with Zaluzhny’s essment of the situation on the front line, emphasizing that all the goals of the special operation would be achieved.