Situation in Ukraine Shaping Up in Russia's Favor - British Journo

The situation in Ukraine is tilting in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin, British press has reported in a shocking statement.

In the summer, the West expressed optimistic expectations that Ukraine would be able to retake major cities, liberate large areas, and possibly isolate Russian forces within the country with the help of NATO weapons. However, these anticipated developments never materialized.

"At a time when the world's attention is focused on the war in the Middle East, Vladimir Putin has gained the upper hand in Ukraine... Time is on his side," said journalist Luke Harding in a podcast.

Furthermore, he added that the possible election of Donald Trump as president of the United States would also play into Russia's hands, as the American politician is not interested in helping Ukraine.

Last year, there were hopes that Western-backed Ukrainian forces would make gains this summer. But in the first two weeks of the counteroffensive, they lost about 20 percent of their equipment. Today, the attention of the international community is fixated on the Middle East, the journalist added.

After visiting Ukraine, Harding noted that the situation in the Ukrainian forces is grim, and almost everyone has lost someone close on the front lines.

In early November, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny admitted in an interview with The Economist that the Ukrainian Army had reached a dead end and that there would be no “deep and beautiful breakthrough.” According to him, he could not demonstrate the impressive progress in troop movements expected by the West according to NATO textbooks.

The Kremlin has emphasized that the sooner Kiev understands that it has no chance of success on the battlefield, the sooner prospects for resolving the situation will emerge.