That’s how I read it, too. Putin won’t allow the military to withdraw, even if everyone on the ground knows that that would be the only sensible option. For everyone. (Except Putin, maybe, although even he could give it a positive spin if he wanted to.)
Wouldn’t Russia shatter if they were fully defeated by Ukraine? I mean, if they withdraw, Ukraine won’t stop before they get Crimea back, and that would be a resounding defeat for the “second army of the world”. Considering how nationalistic Russia became, how would it survive such a defeat?
They can withdraw, delay, mobilize more people, wait for the West to get tired, Trump to get elected, etc.
Ukraine needs constant supply of money and equipment from the West in order to survive. Their economy is fucked and they cant really produce the military equipment needed to fight Russia. What will happen if Trump gets elected? Or Le Pen? Or if opposition parties in the West, start using the cost of the war for propaganda?
That’s how I read it, too. Putin won’t allow the military to withdraw, even if everyone on the ground knows that that would be the only sensible option. For everyone. (Except Putin, maybe, although even he could give it a positive spin if he wanted to.)
Wouldn’t Russia shatter if they were fully defeated by Ukraine? I mean, if they withdraw, Ukraine won’t stop before they get Crimea back, and that would be a resounding defeat for the “second army of the world”. Considering how nationalistic Russia became, how would it survive such a defeat?
They can withdraw, delay, mobilize more people, wait for the West to get tired, Trump to get elected, etc.
Ukraine needs constant supply of money and equipment from the West in order to survive. Their economy is fucked and they cant really produce the military equipment needed to fight Russia. What will happen if Trump gets elected? Or Le Pen? Or if opposition parties in the West, start using the cost of the war for propaganda?
This is why Ukraine is under immense pressure to get results out of the counteroffensive.