A long-running energy crisis in the island nation reached a breaking point this week, when government officials said they had run out of reserves.
A long-running energy crisis in the island nation reached a breaking point this week, when government officials said they had run out of reserves.
The problem is the difficulty in determining how long Ukraine can hold out. If Russia conquers Ukraine, it will be much more powerful. Of course, Putin knows this. That’s the reason he’s fighting.
I’m not suggesting that this is a good strategy, or that Russia doesn’t have their own strategy. I predict that if we see Russia begin to convincingly turn the tide (perhaps it has begun) we’ll see renewed aid to Ukraine-- maybe newer fighter planes. In general though, it doesn’t seem like Ukraine could really “win” on the terms they would like. Ultimately, as you mentioned, attrition favors Russia. You need soldiers to hold territory.
If Russia starts to win, the only way to stop Russia would be for the West to send in troops.
This is what Europe should propose to Putin. Russia will withdraw from all land it seized from Ukraine after the 2022 invasion. NATO would be dissolved and replaced with a European alliance. Ukraine and Canada would be permitted to join but not the US. All sanctions against Russia will be lifted. Russia will not be required to pay reparations. If Putin doesn’t accept the proposal, the UK and France would send troops to Ukraine.
That’s an interesting proposal. A couple years ago it would have sounded crazy, but now… I’m not sure. If I really had to predict, I would say that Zelensky will get pushed out or made to sue for peace. Russia will keep all gained territory.
Ukraine presently is doing better on the battlefield, but Europe should adopt my proposal so the war ends quickly.